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Miguel Almiron is already proving his worth to Newcastle United.
Signed from Atlanta United for a club-record £20million fee in January, the diminutive playmaker has shown that he has already adapted to the rigours of the Premier League in his first three outings.
On the chalkboard
There was some understandable scepticism surrounding the question of whether the slight Almiron could hack it in the Premier League after he put pen to paper for the Magpies.
Indeed, they had just broken a transfer record that had stood since 2005, when they signed Michael Owen from Real Madrid.
But Almiron’s form has been exemplary since his debut, with him having played twice as a starter and once as a substitute.
Indeed, per WhoScored, Almiron averages three key passes per game.
Now, while he has a smaller sample size than the majority of other players in the competition due to his January signing, that is higher than the likes of Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Tottenham Hotspur’s Christian Eriksen.
He has yet to score a goal or register an assist but he is involved in every move Newcastle put together, usually pulling the strings and making the pass before the final ball.
This is evidenced by the fact that he rarely dribbles opponents – he has an average dribble rate of 0.3 per game – and instead looks for a pass.
His completion rate in that regard is 85.3% from an average of 20.7 passes per game.
Newcastle had previously lacked an incisive attacking midfielder with the ability to pick a defensive lock but Almiron doesn’t even need to do that, as he has seemingly come armed with the keys.
A sound investment
It seems crazy to think that £20m is not considered a lot of money.
But, in football, it’s a relative pittance in this transfer market and Newcastle appear to have got the bang for their buck.
Almiron is quick, skilful, excellent on the ball and also a truly brilliant creator of chances.
Newcastle have not had that kind of player since Yohan Cabaye left for PSG and Almiron may well provide the spark the Magpies need to keep climbing the table.
Rafael Benitez’s men are now closer to 10th than 18th after their 2-0 win over Burnley and, with the Paraguay international in the team, they are only likely to keep climbing.
