Almost two months after swapping the States for St James’ Park, it feels like a good time to assess how our new record signing Miguel Almiron has got on following his first 6 appearances for the club.
He may not have scored yet, but his creative spark has been clear from his first minutes from the bench at Wolves up until his last outing at Bournemouth. He’s created more chances than ANY other Premier League player since his arrival – meaning, coupled with a betting offer sourced from online-betting.org – it might be worth your while backing him to bag a few more assists this season. Considering many expected his transition from the MLS to the English top flight take time, this stat shows how quickly he’s made an impact.
Looking back on the last six player ratings pieces I’ve covered, here’s my mark out of 10 for Almiron and the observations I made during each game he’s played in:
Wolves 1-1 Newcastle
Almiron – 7 – ‘Came on for the final 20 minutes and showed real promise. His electric pace was clear from the outset, he looked very direct and was all action at both ends, seeming like he’s in good shape to start against Huddersfield in 12 days time. Got stuck in and gave it his all to get back, defend and protect our lead late on, also linking up nicely with Ritchie and Rondon at the other end. Promising signs.’
Newcastle 2-0 Huddersfield
Almiron – 9 – ‘Hugely impressive in so many ways. He may not have scored or assisted, but he was absolutely everywhere. He created more chances than any other player has for us this season, his decision making was impressive, his movement outstanding and his final ball bang on more often than not. There’s few players who have both guile and pace, but he looks to have both in abundance. Hit the post after bursting through and lobbing the keeper and could’ve had a couple of assists if we’d had our shooting boots on. Flare, drive, vision and just a joy to watch; both on and off the ball. A star may have been born at St James’ Park today!’
Newcastle 2-0 Burnley
Almiron – 7 – ‘After a stunning debut on Saturday, some people may have felt he was on the fringe of this game at times, but, even if he didn’t see a great deal of the ball or have much joy in the final third, his movement and energy off the ball was brilliant. He forced several Burnley errors from relentless closing down and the pure fact that his pace caused them to panic, with his runs both out wide and centrally helping open up a Burnley side that looked difficult to penetrate. His vision and perfectly weighted pass got Ritchie in behind prior to his cross that lead to Longstaff’s goal and his pace, energy and movement caused problems even when he was struggling to see a great deal of the ball himself. His debut may have been dazzling, but there were plenty positives to take from this one despite the fact Burnley did well to keep him quiet.’
West Ham 2-0 Newcastle
Almiron – 6 – ‘He had a very quiet first half, struggling to get into it and having a few loose touches, but he came into the game in the second half, carrying the ball forward well and showing flashes of quality and spark. A below par performance, but he didn’t have a great deal to work with on a day where we just weren’t ‘at it’ all over the pitch.’
Newcastle 3-2 Everton
Almiron – 7.5 – ‘Another impressive home outing for the Paraguayan, with him being our most willing and threatening attacking outlet in the first half especially. He well and truly had the beating of Kenny and, although things didn’t always come off for him – with us seeing a few slack passes or touches here and there – he never gave up and was always trying to make things happen. His rasping 25-yard shot also played a big part in our equaliser, with it being too hot to handle for Pickford and leading to a Perez tap in as a result.’
Bournemouth 2-2 Newcastle
Almiron – 7 – ‘He struggled to get involved in the final third at times, but he played a big part in our first goal, with his 50-yard burst and impressive show of pace drawing a foul in a dangerous area – seeing Rondon fire home from the resultant free-kick. It’s also no coincidence that Ritchie has got much more space since he’s come in, with his movement creating room for him to bomb forward. He’ll have better games, but his work rate was good, his link up play was decent and his pace on the counter played a key role in Rondon’s goal.’
Average mark – 7.25
Common compliments – Movement; something that I was impressed by in just about every appearance. Energy / work rate, creating chances or creating space for others. Pace devastating on the break.
Room for improvement – Sometimes on the fringe of the games (was vs Burnley at times and struggled in first half at West Ham).
One thing that already convinces me about Almiron is that even if he’s having a ‘quiet’ game, his movement, pace and energy seems to be a constant – meaning he is never ineffective.
We’ve had a few wingers over the years who’ve been complete passengers if they’re not ‘at it’, but it seems clear just two months into Almiron’s career at Newcastle that he’ll never fall into that category – and that’s a huge positive to take given he’s still adjusting to life in English football.
Best signing in years!
georgio(Quote)
What I like most about this lad is his attitude. It’s a big thing joining a new club as their most expensive signing – and especially NUFCs with how long it’s been coming – big expectations on his slight shoulders.
But he doesn’t seem to have let that consume him. He hasn’t come in and tried to do it all himself. He’s forged a good relationship with Perez and Rondon – and he seems to have raised their performance levels too.
I think it’s hugely important to add in the summer again, because this shows what adding a bit of quality can achieve.
Sharpy17(Quote)