Sergio Agüero: a true penalty box specialist

On the face of it, the signing of Sergio Agüero is one which was designed to help persuade Leo Messi to sign a new contract with FC Barcelona, given his relationship with the ex-Manchester City striker. He is the Cityzens' all-time and Premier League record goalscorer, and the fourth highest scorer in Premier League history. He arrives at Camp Nou having won an incredible amount of medals with his former club, bringing with him the experience and ability to help get Barça over the line in more competitions.

Now aged 33, Barça have not signed the Agüero that broke through at Atlético de Madrid or the one that dazzled for years at Manchester City. However, he remains an excellent goalscorer and could be a good fit for this current Barça side that is lacking a striker that plays between the posts. In tough games against deep-lying defences, Barça could benefit from Agüero's close-range finishing ability.

It remains to be seen what role Ronald Koeman will give the Argentina forward, or even if the player views himself as an automatic starter or as more of a rotation option. Most people think that Agüero will play a back-up role, coming off the bench in games where Barça are struggling to find the all-important breakthrough.

Agüero is not the same dynamic player that used to drop into the flanks to pull defenders out of position, who was also capable of bursting past opponents to finish off quick transitions and counter attacks. However, the Argentina international remains an excellent penalty box striker. He comes alive in tight spaces, where he uses his intelligence and intuition to gain an advantage. He is an intelligent player who punishes the smallest of mistakes made by his marker.

LOW CENTRE OF GRAVITY

With a powerful lower body and a low centre of gravity, he easily shields the ball with his body. He is very difficult to knock off the ball, while his physical characteristics mean that he has a powerful shot off both feet. He won't be asked to drop deep and link play, but it is hoped that he will continue to demonstrate this characteristic explosiveness in the final third.

It remains to be seen how Koeman sees Depay, Griezmann, Messi, Agüero, Dembélé and Ansu Fati linking up. The Dutch coach is in the enviable position of being able to choose from a range of different attacking options who all know how to get on the score sheet.

One thing that works against him, which also applies to Memphis Depay, is that neither player tends to contribute much in the defensive side of the game. For Depay, this is more of a personal preference rather than for physical reasons. For Agüero, meanwhile, it remains to be seen if he is capable of tracking runners. Instead, his energy may be better used to press the opposition defence when they try to play out with the ball.

Goalscoring ability [9]

This is his best attribute as a striker. Agüero was born to score goals, and he remains as hungry as ever to keep getting his name on the score sheet.

Burst [6]

While he is fairly good at driving past players in tight spaces, this isn't one of his main strengths. His powerful lower body means that he is quick over the first five yards.

Defence [4]

Throughout his career, Agüero has never contributed much in the defensive side of the game. With a greater need to conserve energy for more decisive actions in the attacking third, he now contributes even less than he once did.

Vision [6]

He doesn't link up particularly well with his team mates, but he remains a natural goal scorer. He comes alive in the box, and knows how to pull into areas that allow him to cause more damage to the opposition's defence.

Adaption to Barça's style of play [9]

This shouldn't be a problem for the Argentina striker, having spent many years being coached by Pep Guardiola.

Finishing [9]

Agüero's finishing ability is one of his greatest strengths. With an ability to find space and get shots away quickly, his goalscoring capacity makes him a lethal weapon.