Gonzalo Junior Aguirre – Nueva Chicago’s pivote

The South American Championships provide a good platform for South American talent as Brazil won the tournament with an array of well-known prodigies while Uruguay put in a strong showing as the rehabilitation of their youth programme at the national level in the last few years has been a joy to watch. The recently concluded South American Championships also brought to light some talent from some of the lesser known leagues in South America. One of these talents is Peruvian deep-lying playmaker, Gonzalo Aguirre who plays for Nuevo Chicago in the Argentine Primera Nacional which is the Argentine Second Division. The 19-year-old was standout for his side and possesses an impeccable skillset and traits which could put him on the scouting list of European clubs in the months to come. The Peruvian started his career in Huracan’s academy as a 13-year-old before moving to Nueva Chicago’s academy three years later as he came through the ranks at the Primera Nacional side.

Aguirre is a left-footed deep-lying playmaker with lumbering size and good mobility as he has the ability to be authoritative in defensive situations. His strongest asset is his passing range as he can roll lovely penetrative line-breaking passes in between the lines while also being able to orchestrate attacking moves in the final third. He can play through balls to runners in the channels while he also has the ability to switch possession from one flank to the other with ease. He is comfortable in demanding the ball in tight spaces as he can use his body and quick feet to turn out of pressure while he can also work quick passing interchanges to move into space to receive possession and instigate an attacking move with a line-breaking pass. Defensively, he has the intelligence to cover space and make interceptions in the defensive phase, pressing phase and counter-pressing phase while he has the mobility to track markers into the wide areas to make tackles.

Against Paraguay’s U20 side, the 19-year-old would drop in between the centre-backs to receive possession, driving the ball forward to adjust his body, swivel his hips and thread a line-breaking pass to the eight space. Aguirre dropped in between his centre-backs once more to receive possession, driving the ball forward to loft a perfectly angled switch pass to the left flank. He repeated the trick to receive possession from his goalkeeper to drive the ball forward and switch possession to the right flank. Aguirre thrives in holding possession, pushing the ball forward to assess his passing options before adjusting his body, swivelling his hips and raking line-breaking passes into space. He exhibited this when he received possession in between the centre-backs to drive the ball forward before turning and threading a line-breaking pass through three opposition players to a teammate in the left half-space.

After a centre-back pushed out of position and lost a challenge, Aguirre would chase back to cover for him, making a block on a cross into the box. The deep-lying playmaker would receive possession behind the first line of pressure to turn and thread a pass to the left half-space once more. He dropped in between the centre-backs to push forward and loft a switch pass to the right flank before receiving possession in the six-space to swivel and thread another line-breaking pass to a teammate. Aguirre’s distribution allows him to function as a pivote while his mobility and reading of the game in the defensive phase would allow him to shoulder the defensive responsibilities of the role. In a defensive situation, he would shuttle across to intercept a pass and lay-off to a teammate. The 19-year-old also has the skillset to manoeuvre out of tight spaces as he received possession with a marker on his back, shielding the ball before cutting back and working a pass to his ball-far fullback.

Aguirre received possession in a tight space once more, using his directional first touch to direct the ball away from an attacker and lob a switch pass over the head of an attacker and into the stride of a runner to ease transition. In a counter-pressing situation, a teammate would be beaten as Aguirre did well to not be drawn towards the ball but rather focusing on covering space to regain possession cleanly and deny the opposition a counter-attacking opportunity. The 19-year-old was positioned in the six-space and scanned as he occupied a pocket of space, demanding possession as he swivelled when the ball rolled to him to attempt a lobbed pass to a winger making a run in behind which was intercepted. Aguirre is extremely intelligent at finding solutions in pressing situations as he would receive possession from the right flank, scanning to identify an opposition attacker applying pressure behind him as he nonchalantly played an outside of the boot pass to a teammate in the centre.

After a teammate lost possession in the opposition half, Aguirre was on hand to push forward and make a tackle to win a 50/50 as he worked a pass to a teammate. The 19-year-old moved into the opposition half where he received possession, taking a touch and threading a pass in between two midfielders to the nine-space. Aguirre is comfortable in receiving possession in between the lines, in between his centre-backs and in compact midfield zones as his first touch is impeccable while he is able to release the ball on his first or second touch. Aguirre received possession behind the first line of pressure before flicking a pass to a teammate. Peru would lose possession in the opposition half as Aguirre responded by covering a progressive passing lane for the opposition player in possession while not being sucked towards the ball, a pass was played behind him as he tracked the ball and tried to make an interception on another pass before eventually winning possession, rolling the ball past an opposition player and playing a back-pass to his centre-back.

Aguirre was perfectly positioned to make another interception on a counter-pressing situation before he received possession to play an outside of the boot pass progressive pass. The 19-year-old received possession at the base of midfield to drive the ball sideways, swivelling his hips to thread a raking line-breaking pass to the 10 space. His ability to drive the ball and instantly swivel his hips to release the ball progressively allows him to draw markers and release the ball to a teammate in space. After a centre-back regained possession in a counter-attacking situation, Aguirre played a line-breaking pass to a teammate, latching onto a loose ball to skip away from an opposition attacker with his directional first touch as he drew a foul. In another counter-pressing situation, he showed great defensive focus and anticipation to push forward and make a tackle in the opposition half before repeating the trick, making a clean tackle outside the opposition half to regain possession in another counter-pressing situation. After a turnover, he received possession to drive the ball forward, swivelling his hips and threading a pass in between the lines.

In possession, Aguirre switched a pass from the left half-space to the right flank as he moved to the right half-space to receive possession, scanning over his shoulder to identify a marker closing him down as he used his directional first touch to prod the ball towards the flank, playing the ball to a teammate in the wide areas. He then dropped into a pocket of space to receive the ball, threading a line-breaking pass in between the lines as he received a lay-off to play a one-touch pass to the flank. The 19-year-old received possession from his centre-back, driving the ball forward to thread another line-breaking pass to through three players to the ten space. Aguirre made another interception in a counter-pressing situation on the right flank while in the defensive phase, he remained touch tight to a marker making a tackle and clearance. Aguirre lost possession in the six-space before recovering to regain possession with a clean tackle. Aguirre received possession in the opposition half to thread another line-breaking pass to the ten space as he nearly created an opportunity when he lobbed a pass to a striker in the box who was unable to get a shot away.

In a Primera Nacional game away to Temperley, he scanned to track the run of an attacker, intercepting a throw-in to him. However, Aguirre would be involved in conceding the ball, receiving possession while facing his goal, attempting to dribble the ball backwards where he lost possession for the opposition to break and score. In the defensive phase, he covered space to win another 50/50 challenge before receiving possession in the six-space to take a touch and play an outside of the boot pass to a teammate. The 19-year-old moved into a pocket of space in the six-space, receiving possession to play the ball for his fullback, moving into a pocket of space to receive possession and swivel, driving the ball forward to spread a pass to the wide areas. In a counter-pressing situation, he reacted quickly to make an interception in the opposition half and lay the ball off to a teammate. In the defensive phase, he covered a passing lane, tracking his marker to the wide areas to make a timely interception on a deep pass in between the lines.

Aguirre won an aerial duel on a goal-kick before he received possession in the six-space to switch the ball to the right flank. In another counter-pressing situation, he covered a direct passing lane to the nine-space to intercept a deep pass before receiving possession to play the ball to a teammate. The 19-year-old received possession on the left half-space to play a one-touch switch into the box which was deflected for an attacker to have a shot on goal. In the defensive phase, he was martialling the six-space to make an interception and switch a pass to the left flank before receiving possession in a congested area, swivelling and playing the ball to a teammate before receiving possession to take a touch and work a pass to a midfielder in the next line. In the defensive phase, he won another aerial duel before making a run to cover for a fullback during a counter-attacking situation as he made a tackle to regain possession and deny the opposition a goal-scoring opportunity.

Aguirre covered space to make another tackle, regaining possession to flick a pass to a teammate as he used his body to regain possession once more, swivelling away from a defender to thread a pass to a teammate in the next line. In a counter-pressing situation, he was perfectly positioned to intercept a deep pass in the opposition half to deny the opposition a counter-attacking opportunity. He made another interception on a deep pass to regain possession for his team, this time, covering space to make the intervention in the defensive phase. Against Brazil, in the South American Championships, Aguirre received a deep pass from the left flank while under pressure to play a one-touch pass to the wide zone. He received possession in the opposition half to turn and thread a pass in between the lines to the nine-space.

The 19-year-old received possession in the opposition half to drive the ball forward and play a pass to the flank as an opportunity was cleared from the box as Aguirre was on-hand to regain possession and thread another pass to the flank. In the defensive phase, the prodigious pivote tracked a runner into the deeper areas to make an interception in front of the box before playing the ball to a teammate. After a turnover, he received possession to allow the ball to roll across his body before threading a pass to the nine-space. Aguirre’s ability to receive the ball and release the ball from a variety of body shapes and angles allow him to operate in tighter spaces and evade pressure. He would receive possession near the left flank, allowing the ball to roll across his body before flicking a pass to a teammate.

In another counter-pressing situation, Aguirre would not be drawn towards the ball, instead holding his position as he was perfectly positioned to make an interception before playing the ball to a teammate as he received possession to loft a pass into the channels which was too heavy. In the defensive phase, he moved to the left flank to win a tackle before back-heeling a pass to a teammate. In the opposition half, he received possession in the six-space, spreading a pass to the right flank before moving into the right half-space, as he received possession and threading a line-breaking pass to the left sided eight space.

Aguirre has the tools to develop into a high-level pivote in a 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 system as he has the mobility, footballing intelligence and anticipation to shoulder the defensive responsibilities of the position. In an attacking sense, his distribution is impeccable from a variety of areas as he can drop in between the centre-backs to drive the ball forward while if he is positioned in the six-space and his side switches to a three-chain, he can receive possession in between the first and second line of pressure to release the ball with a line-breaking progressive pass. He is comfortable in contorting his body to drive the ball forward as he can receive possession on the half-turn while he can receive the ball and swivel to play the ball forward. He has the vision to thread deep passes in between the lines, switch the ball to the opposite flank or lob passes to runners in the channels. When he has possession in the opposition half, he can play penetrative passes to disrupt opposition low blocks.

Defensively, his awareness and positioning in counter-pressing situations is impressive as he instinctively knows when to engage the opposition player with the ball to force a turnover and when to hold his position and allow his teammates to put pressure on the ball. This is important as his focus is on shielding the defence as in the second instance, he can make interceptions. He is crucial in denying the opposition counter-attacking opportunities while in the defensive phase, he will calmly slide across to make clean interceptions and tackles in the defensive block. In counter-attacking situations, he looks to cover for his teammates while he can chase down attackers to make tackles and blocks in the wide areas. Aguirre is not a passive defender as he is capable of man-marking, using his body and long legs to stretch and regain possession in 50/50 situations. Aguirre will need to improve at receiving possession while facing his own goal as he tends to dribble backwards which leads to him losing possession. He has the skill to scan, receive possession and turn or adjust his body shape to play one-touch passes to the wide areas as he is also able to draw fouls by shielding the ball. Aguirre can shoulder the responsibilities of a lone pivote in and out of possession.

Aguirre could be on the cusp of a rapid rise as he only signed his first professional contract in December 2022 which has proved to be a shrewd decision by Nueva Chicago. The 19-year-old could be an intriguing proposition for a few teams in Europe as Real Sporting de Gijon under Miguel Angel Ramirez could use a deep-lying playmaker with his skillset as would Las Palmas under Garcia Pimienta. Teams like Sevilla, Villareal, Real Betis, Celta Vigo and Rayo Vallecano could also be interesting propositions for the youngster. Serie A is also a league that would suit his skillset as Lazio, Torino, Udinese, Bologna, Lecce, Fiorentina and Sassuolo would also be intriguing options for him. In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt and Hamburg are teams that would suit his style of play. In Ligue 1, Toulouse, Reims, Rennes, Nice, Lens and Lille would also be good landing spots for the teenager. Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven would also suit his style of play while Brighton and Brentford could sign him before loaning him out to Royale Union Saint -Gilloise or FC Midtylland. Arsenal could sign him as a long-term replacement for Thomas Partey and Jorginho with Mikel Arteta’s preference for left-footed deep-lying playmakers as the English side could loan him to Sporting Gijon in the interim. Aguirre will be one of young players from the South American Championships to follow in the coming months.