As per the latest reports, Newcastle United are going to dive in the January market to bring in a no. 10 who can compete for a place with Ayoze Perez and it’s believed that they could be after Paraguayan sensation Miguel Almiron who has been thriving in the MLS playing for Atlanta United.
Reports say that the player is keen on a move in January and his agent was recently present in attendance to watch Newcastle United take on Bournemouth where the Magpies ran out 2-1 winners on the day. Almiron thrived in his country’s league before moving to Argentina to play for Lanus in 2015. He was impactful enough in the Argentina Primera Division and helped his side in winning the title in 2016.
Later, the Paraguayan was signed up by Atlanta United who is managed by former Argentina and Barcelona manager Tata Martino. In his first season itself, the attacking midfielder was named in the MLS All-Star team and was named as the MLS Newcomer of the Year in 2017. The 24-year-old helped his side reach the playoffs, and the playmaker managed nine goals and eight assists in his first campaign. English heavyweights like Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be interested in the MLS star.
This season again, the Paraguayan has been running riot in the league and has racked up 13 goals and 13 assists in 35 appearances. He has even established himself at the international level and has 13 caps for Paraguay.
A move to the Premier League is going to be a step up in his career, but it remains to be seen whether the playmaker would be able to have an impact like this in England given the gulf of quality between the MLS and the Premier League.
What makes him stand out from other players is his commitment and work rate. Usually, players with flair to their game are often considered as a liability off the ball, but Almiron shows excellent quality in tracking back and winning the ball back when not in possession. That is something which he would have to do a lot if Benitez manages to sign him in January.
Almiron is a definite fan favourite at the club, and he is going to cost a decent amount of money if United want to land him. Atlanta’s president once said on Arsenal’s £11m interest in him,”And the other was the suggestion of £11million because it would have to take at least triple that for me to even get out of bed and think about any bids for Almiron.”
It’s obvious that Newcastle won’t pay anywhere near the £30m mark to have him, but we also feel that the president was exaggerating his player’s value and was probably talking in a bit of jest. It remains to be seen though whether Newcastle would be able to prise him away in January to bolster their attacking side of the game.
