Newcastle United signing Miguel Almiron is not eligible to face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, according to Chronicle journalist Chris Waugh.
Waugh reports on his personal Twitter account that the Paraguay international is yet to undergo the formalities of collecting his visa following his arrival in Europe.
It is said that Almiron will have no issues in having his visa granted, but is merely yet to collect the document in person.
On another note, Waugh reports that fellow new signing Antonio Barreca will be available.
My understanding is that Miguel Almiron is not eligible to face Spurs because the new #nufc signing still needs to go through formalities of collecting his visa in Europe (it will be granted though, don't worry, he just has to collect it in person).
Barreca is eligible though
— Chris Waugh (@ChrisDHWaugh) January 31, 2019
OPINION
Many Newcastle fans will be disappointed in hearing this news, but this was always to be the likely situation. Almiron is coming from the States and has never played in Europe before, meaning there will be much more paperwork than normal for Newcastle to complete before he is eligible. Barreca on the other hand is making a loan move from France and will therefore have a lot less technicalities to sort before being eligible – with the Italian flyer looking to be ready to face Tottenham on Saturday, although it is not known whether he will indeed do so. Regarding Almiron, it will inevitably take him time to adapt to life in England and Premier League football, and Rafa Benitez was always unlikely to throw him straight into proceedings this weekend. The club’s record signing will no doubt play a big part in the coming months, but don’t be surprised if he is eased into things slowly in the next few weeks.
