There are plenty of topics for discussion in our Wednesday morning media round-up.
Let’s kick off with some positive news – deserved acclaim for two of our all-time greats: Sergio Aguero and David Silva.
Premier League legend Alan Shearer has spoken very highly of his Argentine counterpart, hailing Kun as the division’s all-time best import.
As Goal report: “No player has scored more than Shearer’s 260 Premier League goals but Aguero is more prolific than any overseas arrival aside from Arsenal icon Thierry Henry.
“Since signing for Manchester City from Atletico Madrid in 2011, Aguero has hit 146 Premier League goals.
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“His treble in a 6-1 thumping of Huddersfield Town on Sunday saw Aguero move into the competition’s top 10 all-time scoring list, leapfrogging former Arsenal and Manchester United forward Robin van Persie.
“And Shearer believes Aguero deserves the title of the top flight’s most successful foreign recruit, ahead of star names like Henry, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo.”
“He was deadly again,” the former Newcastle star stated, revealing his selections for the official Premier League Team of the Weekend.
“[He’s] now on nine Premier League hat-tricks and only two behind me.
“The best foreign player to play in the Premier League. A great centre-forward with no weaknesses.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Carragher has been equally complimentary of midfield maestro Silva, dubbing the Spaniard a contender for the ‘Premier League Player of the Decade.’
Reflecting on the weekend’s action, in which Silva marked his 250th appearance in the division with a sensational free-kick, and early candidates for the Player of the Year award, Carragher declared: “He never seems to come into the reckoning for it but consistently over an eight-year period there has been nobody above him.
“With Silva, it feels like you get the same performance almost every game. So, you notice it more when he doesn’t play well than when he does because his performance levels are so consistently high.
“When I talk about him being player of the year, I am thinking of it in terms of his service to Manchester City and the Premier League. It would be brilliant if he could pick something up like that, not just for him but for football, because he has been a special player.
“I think when he is finished we will be talking about one of the all-time great Premier League players.
“The stats speak for themselves but sometimes with a player like that, the stats still don’t tell the full story because he is a player that you just love to watch.
“Even if he doesn’t get a goal or an assist in a game, you just enjoy watching him play. It makes you feel good when you watch him, that’s the only way I can describe it.”
In other – less cheerful – news the press have been attempting to predict Pep Guardiola’s potential options to replace our injured goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, with many reports citing Barcelona’s Jasper Cillessen.
The Manchester Evening News’ Dan O’Toole explains: “Manchester City could find a solution to their goalkeeping crisis in the shape of Barcelona’s Jasper Cillessen, according to reports in Spain.
“City no.2 Claudio Bravo ruptured his Achilles tendon in training on Monday and is set to face a prolonged stint on the sidelines, the club confirmed in a statement.
“Bravo will travel to Barcelona on Thursday for further tests, and City could tempt Cillessen in the other direction, report Mundo Deportivo.
“The Holland international, 29, is thought to be frustrated with his lack of game time at the Camp Nou and reportedly wants more opportunities at the highest level.
“Cillessen was a substitute in Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup win against Sevilla - a cup game he would have expected to start.
“The Dutchman, capped 40 times for his country, played every game in Barcelona’s run to Spanish Cup glory last season.
“Meanwhile, Dutch outlet BN DeStem report that City do not have a recall clause in Aro Muric’s loan deal at NAC Breda.
“The 19-year-old made his Eredivisie debut in NAC’s 3-0 win against De Graafschap on Saturday, and is likely to see out the duration of his season-long deal in Holland.”
Finally, the Daily Star believe Guardiola will be closely monitoring Ruben Neves’ performance in this weekend’s clash against newly-promoted Wolves, with City allegedly ‘eyeing a £60million January swoop.’
According to Marc Williams: “The 21-year-old Portugal ace is rated at around £60m and the Etihad giants could reportedly launch such an offer when the January window opens.
“Neves is under contract until 2023 and Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are under no pressure to sell.
“But the lure of Champions League football could tempt Neves into the move, especially if City continue to their fine early form.
“It is said Guardiola is keen to spend big on one main player after Christmas and Neves has ‘shot up City’s list of possibles’ following their failure to land Jorginho.”
