Reported Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur target Julian Alvarez ‘will be even better than Lautaro Martinez’, former Argentina international Abel Balbo told Ole of the Premier League target.
Quite the claim.
Lautaro might have played second fiddle to Romelu Lukaku during Inter’s Scudetto-winning 2020/21 campaign – the willing Robin to the Nerazzuri’s brutal Batman – but his role in an outstanding domestic campaign should not be understated.
The former Racing Club wonderkid scored 19 times in all competitions last term.
He has also netted 17 times in just 33 games for the Argentina national team – an outstanding track record, especially when you consider he’s only been an Albiceleste regular since 2019.
But according to Balbo, a 21-year-old whizzkid linked with a January move to Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur has everything in his locker to overtake Lautaro as Argentina’s first-choice centre-forward.
Is Lautaro Martinez under pressure from Julian Alvarez?
“I think he is already a candidate to occupy a more significant place in the national team. He will have a career for many years with the Albiceleste,” said Balbo, the former Roma and Fiorentina ace.
“As far as their characteristics are concerned, Martinez and Alvarez are not particularly different. Both drop deep and know how to pass the ball very well.
“When he has more experience, Julian will be even better than Lautaro.
“I see some similarities between Julian’s game and the one I had. I think he is a ‘nine-and-a-half’ because he can drop deep and make the team play.
“He is a very technical player with a great vision of the game.”
Alvarez, who has a £21 million release clause in his contract, has been linked with the likes of Spurs, Aston Villa, AC Milan and a Real Madrid side who missed out on the chance to sign the River Plate talisman when he was still a teenager (Calciomercato).
It is understood that an out-of-sorts Aston Villa have been scouting Alvarez for ten months now, and they will have been mightily impressed by the way their long-term target has started the new campaign.
11 goals and six assists have been registered in just 14 games, earning comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo along the way.
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