It was a goal Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang himself would have been proud of.
With Stuttgart chasing an equaliser in the weekend’s Bundesliga clash with Borussia Monchengladbach, Nicolas Gonzalez decided to take matters into his own hands.
The Argentine international dropped as deep as the centre circle to pick up possession before rolling the ball out wide. Not content to stand and stare, Gonzalez then drifted off the back of World Cup winner Christoph Kramer and, after ghosting into the penalty area, brilliantly glanced an inch-perfect Borna Sosa cross into the far corner.
It was the sort of instinctive finish Gonzalez has made his trademark at the Mercedes Benz Arena; the sort of instinctive finish that had Stuttgart’s sporting director comparing the 22-year-old to an elite-level marksman he knows very well from his time at Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund.
“I know that, from Aubameyang’s days in Dortmund, he was always in top shape. He arrived on Friday evenings and was able to play on Saturdays. Nico is one of those guys too,” Mislintat told BILD after Gonzalez channeled the Gabonese superstar with a brilliant individual effort against Hoffenheim earlier in the campaign.
“The group takes Nico as he is. They accept his strengths and weaknesses. He’s a playful character, which is good for us in certain situations.”
There is not a day that goes by without Stuttgart fans thanking their lucky stars that Gonzalez stuck around.
The former Argentinos Juniors star told TMW in early 2020 that he had his heart set on a move away from the Bundesliga newcomers, after all.
But, while a summer departure might not have come to fruition, it seems only a matter of time before Gonzalez is heading for something a little bigger. Who knows; perhaps he could soon be sharing a postcode with Aubameyang himself?
According to The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur have held talks with the £27 million-rated Albiceleste front man.
If his inch-perfect finish against Gladbach is anything to go by, Gonzalez could take North London by storm – just like a certain Arsenal captain.
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