Nicolas Gonzalez is so Argentinian it’s almost cliched.
After all, there is nothing the 22-year-old loves more than dropping off the front line to bamboozle defenders with an explosion of nitrous-powered acceleration, pulling off step-overs, back-heels and weaving dribbles like an IRL version of Dash from Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles.
But, after firing home 15 goals in 28 games across 2019/20, Stuttgart’s superhero appears to sense that his true calling may lie elsewhere.
Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb recently, Gonzalez admitted that he had informed the Bundesliga newcomers of his desire to try out something new this summer.
“I have decided: I want a new experience, fresh air. I will leave Stuttgart.”
And Leeds United could be his destination.
Since sealing promotion to the Premier League at long, long, long last, flares filling the West Yorkshire sky with a blue, yellow and white haze, the team managed by ex-Albiceleste boss Marcelo Bielsa have been linked with a whole host of Argentine sensations.
Ole says that Gonzalez is one of the chosen quintet, despite an £18 million price-tag which would see him become one of the most expensive signings in Leeds’ 100 year history (Tag24).
But if the thrice-capped striker has just a fraction of Mario Kempes’s generation-defining talent, that £18 million fee would look like a rather smart investment.
“He reminds me of Kempes,” said Argentinos Juniors coach Alfredo Berti, as reported by FourFourTwo when they included Gonzalez in their list of the 50 best teenagers worldwide in 2017.
While Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi may jostle eternally for the title of Argentina’s numero uno, Kempes is most certainly on the podium too. A bonafide South American legend, he was the top scorer as his country lifted the 1978 World Cup trophy after all.
So it’s fair to say Gonzalez has a lot to live up to.
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