Antonio Cordero has not had a great start to his Newcastle United career.
The teenager moved to St James’ Park during the summer, arriving from Malaga on a free transfer. There was a lot of hype surrounding his arrival, with Antonio Cordero attracting interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But it was Eddie Howe’s side who won the race, with Cordero picking Newcastle United as the best club for him.
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He was quickly loaned out to KVC Westerlo in Belgium, which is where things started to go wrong. The 19-year-old made just eight appearances before the loan deal was terminated.
Cordero has now joined Cadiz on loan, as he hopes to put the past few months behind him.
Antonio Cordero insists he is ‘better’ after joining KVC Westerlo
However, the Spaniard is not totally negative about his experience in Belgium. In fact, he insists that he has grown as a footballer.
Following his arrival at Cadiz until the end of the season, Cordero has been speaking to AS. He was asked about his time at KVC Westerlo, with the attacker describing it as a ‘bad experience’.
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“You have to take something good from every bad experience,” he said.
“It’s been good for my maturity. It’s made me a better and more mature footballer.
“In terms of my playing style, I consider myself to have a great shot [at Cadiz], but I like to let the pitch speak for itself.”
Newcastle United need Antonio Cordero to make up for lost time
While it was frustrating to see Cordero barely feature for Westerlo, that obviously does not tell the whole story. He is still taking some positives from his disastrous loan, but will now be intent on putting it behind him.
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That will be the hope on Tyneside too, with Newcastle United expecting Cordero to improve in Spain. More comfortable surroundings should allow that to happen, as he prepares to potentially make his Cadiz debut against Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday.
For both the player and the club, Cordero needs to make up for lost time. Newcastle United have acted quickly to rectify their mistake, and now Cordero must ensure that this year has not been a complete waste.
Hopefully the Westerlo shambles does not stunt Cordero’s development too much, as Newcastle United will have visions of him becoming a member of the first-team squad in the coming years.
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