Sergio Aguero signed on the dotted line at Barcelona but refused to discuss the possibility of Pep Guardiola following him from Manchester City to Camp Nou.
Barcelona are in a state of upheaval amid doubts over Ronald Koeman s future, with club president Joan Laporta describing the Dutchman as a coach that we did not ask for on Monday.
Laporta has not excluded the possibility of Koeman staying in charge for the second year of his contract, but it appears the club are also looking at alternative options to come in and take charge.
Aguero is also thought of as a potential upgrade on the talent Barcelona have as striking options, besides Lionel Messi, having become Manchester City s record goalscorer during a highly successful decade in England.
The new recruit also said he thought Messi would be staying at Barcelona, continuing their partnership from the Argentina national team.
However, asked about the possibility of Barcelona re-hiring Guardiola, who coached the Blaugrana from 2008 to 2012, Aguero stayed well clear.
He said: I don t have the right to talk about that. He has a contract with City and I m not the one who has to talk about the coach.
The one would be Laporta, the president who was elected in March. His predecessor, Josep Maria Bartomeu, appointed Koeman.
Asked about the latest situation with Koeman, during what was Aguero s presentation news conference, Laporta said: I already said that we have started a period of reflection, for the reasons I said.
As he was a coach that we did not ask for, we needed that period. There are contacts, I have already said that he is a coach with a current contract and our will is to respect it as long as this period of reflection occurs.
2 Lionel Messi has assisted Sergio Agüero for nine goals for Argentina , more than any other teammate. Agüero has assisted Messi for five goals for the national team only Carlos Tevez (six) and Gonzalo Higuain (seven) have assisted more. Tango.
— OptaJose (@OptaJose)
Koeman almost led Barcelona to a domestic double in 2020-21, but a dip in league form over the closing weeks of the season meant their charge since the turn of the year was only good enough for third place in LaLiga. They won the Copa del Rey, but that may not be enough to save him.
Laporta was also questioned about whether Aguero had been brought in to please captain Messi, who has yet to sign a new contract with his current deal to expire at the end of June.
The president replied, according to Mundo Deportivo: The signing of Aguero is because he is a desired player and an exceptional player. It is the first of a series of signings that you will get to know. Naturally, we want Messi to continue.
The news conference was perhaps a sign of what Aguero can expect at Barcelona, at least in the short term. Messi signing a new deal would bring a sense of calm to proceedings, as would clarity on the coaching situation.
Aguero is looking forward to playing with his compatriot on a week-by-week basis.
He said the prime motivation to join his new club was: To be at Barca, where the best player in the world is.
If he [Messi] continues here, which I think he will, we will try to do our best, as we have always done, in the national team.
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