Newcastle United’s Miguel Almiron could find his place in the side under threat following recent reports surrounding the club and midfielder Otavio.
Whilst safety in the Premier League is still not a guarantee, given the form that the Magpies have been in and the current gap between them and the relegation zone, Newcastle can be forgiven for perhaps looking ahead to who they can recruit for another season in the top flight.
And according to reports, Portuguese playmaker Otavio could very well be on their list of targets, but bringing him in could spell bad news for Paraguayan Almiron.
What has been claimed?
According to a report in Portuguese outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are set to take a look at the 27-year-old winger in the upcoming summer transfer window, as it states he “is a player who is ‘referenced’ by the Magpies as his ‘characteristics please’ those who are interested in signing him this summer”.
The winger certainly has an eye for a pass if it leads to a goal, as he has registered 61 assists to go along with his 24 goals for current club FC Porto during his 228 appearances for them and is currently averaging 2.1 key passes across all competitions this season at club and international level (via WhoScored).
The report does state that he has a release clause of €60m (£50.3m), so he may well cost Newcastle a pretty penny to bring in, but given their financial backing, it shouldn’t be too big a task.
A nervous few weeks for Almiron?
With the numbers that Otavio can put up, this could very well prove to be a tricky few weeks for Almiron at the club.
Since the turn of the year, his playing time hasn’t exactly been consistent, so his place was already somewhat under threat, but when you look at his numbers overall for Newcastle, they aren’t exactly all that impressive, with just 13 goals – but more importantly, with only five assists and producing 0.6 key passes per game (via WhoScored), in terms of creativity, there’s a vast drop-off between the two.
TIF Verdict…
Would Otavio be an upgrade on Almiron?
Yes
No
Even if Otavio isn’t at 100% at Premier League level as he adjusts, he would arguably still be capable of bringing a lot more to the table than Almiron, so this is certainly an avenue that they should be looking to pursue in the summer.
If Newcastle United are to become the big club they have been hoping to be since the takeover, making upgrades like this and getting rid of players who are more or less deadwood like Almiron along the way should be part of that process.
And with over two years left on Almiron’s current contract, Newcastle might even be able to help offset the cost of signing Otavio along the way if they can sell him on this summer.
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