OPINION
Ayoze Perez will be more concerned than most by the arrival of record signing Miguel Almiron at Newcastle United.
The Paraguayan international joined the Toon Army from Atlanta United on deadline day, and is expected to take on the number 10 role when he is available to make his debut.
That will not be at Wembley against Tottenham on Saturday lunchtime with work permits still to be finalised, and that means that Perez will get one last chance to prove to Rafa Benitez that he can be of use in the Magpies fight for survival.
So far this season, the 25-year-old has scored four times in all competitions, but has been a regular lightning rod for fans’ frustrations and has fluctuated greatly in the level of his performance.
Occasionally brilliant, the vast majority of Perez’s time on Tyneside has been underwhelming, and he will need be fully aware of how precariously his first team berth is balanced at the moment.
Nobody will justifiably expect Newcastle to go to Wembley and come away with anything on Saturday, but Tuesday’s remarkable win over Manchester City has rekindled some semblance of positivity amongst the Geordie faithful, and if they are to get anything then Perez will surely have to play out of his skin.
If he can produce the kind of performance that he has done against Spurs in the past, as reported by the Chronicle, then he could be an unlikely hero for the Toon Army – and could make Almiron wait just a little bit longer for his bow.
