There is a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Miguel Almiron.
The Paraguayan is the club’s record signing, costing £21million on transfer deadline day.
He is a player that Rafa Benitez desperately wanted, and he is a player who Newcastle desperately need. There has been a distinct lack of creativity at St James’ Park lately, and Almiron has been brought in to change that.
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Vickery raves about Almiron’s previous impact
“He took a huge risk just over two years in going to America. He’d just been the decisive player with Lanus in Argentina when they won the title,” Vickery told BBC 5Live’s World Football phone in.
“That’s a huge achievement in itself – it’s a glorified neighbourhood club. They’re nowhere near the size of a Boca or a River Plate and for him to be the major player in that was a massive achievement.
“Where does he go? MLS. He’s launched Atlanta United.”
Everywhere Almiron has been, he has been successful. And as Vickery notes, he had no right to be successful in his previous two ventures. Lanus and Atlanta United are not the biggest clubs in their respective nations, yet Almiron was able to guide them to glory.
This bodes well for us.
We need a player who can take responsibility and be the man. It sounds like Almiron can do exactly that. While winning league titles won’t happen in black and white, he can certainly be Benitez’s star player.
After a long time, Newcastle once again have a creative force they can build the team around.