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Football Briefs: Aguero extends City contract to 2021

September 21, 2018 15:09 IST

Sergio Aguero

IMAGE: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City kisses the ball to celebrate a goal during a Premier League match. Photograph: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has signed a one-year contract extension that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until 2021, the Premier League club said on Friday.

Since joining City from Atletico Madrid in 2011, the 30-year-old Argentine has helped the club win three Premier League titles and three League Cups.

 

Aguero is City's all-time record scorer with 204 goals, including the stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers in 2012 that won a first top division title in 44 years.

"I am happy for this additional year," Aguero, who has scored three league goals in five games this season, told the club website.

"My idea was being here for 10 years. I've been here for seven years, it's going to be 10 when the contract expires.

"Hopefully, that's going to happen. This was the main reason I signed."

Aguero has previously said he would like to end his career at boyhood club Independiente but has postponed his return to Argentina by extending his stay at City until after his 33rd birthday.

He joins Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, David Silva, Nicolas Otamendi and Ederson as first-team players to have signed new long-term deals in recent months.

Lloris injury hampered by stress of charge, says Pochettino

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino believes the stress caused by Hugo Lloris' drink-driving charge may have contributed to the thigh injury that has ruled his first-choice goalkeeper out of their last three matches.

France's World Cup-winning captain was fined 50,000 pounds ($66,280) and banned from driving for 20 months after pleading guilty in court last week to being more than twice the legal drink-driving limit.

Lloris suffered the injury during the 3-0 Premier League victory over Manchester United, three days after he was charged by police in central London.

"I think he was under stress during the game against Manchester United," Pochettino told reporters. "In that stress, maybe it created that injury.

"The injury now is helping him to take time to think and be a little bit more relaxed, because to compete after what happened I think was a massive stress for him.

"We still do not know (when he will be available). We hope as soon as possible but I think the plan is still next week, if everything goes to plan in training."

In the absence of club captain Lloris, Spurs have suffered consecutive defeats to Watford, Liverpool and Inter Milan -- all of them by a 2-1 margin.

It is the first time Pochettino has overseen three straight losses during his tenure at the club but he remains calm ahead of Saturday's league trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.

"The only way we can stop that (questioning and criticism) is by winning games, and if we don't win everyone is going to criticise more than now," the Argentine added.

"I am so relaxed. In football it sometimes happens, this situation. I am going to give my best until the end."

Source: REUTERS
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