Newcastle United winger Matt Ritchie has suggested that the record transfer fee paid for new arrival Miguel Almiron is irrelevant.
The Paraguayan international completed a £20 million move to St. James’ Park on Thursday, as reported by the BBC, breaking a club transfer record that has stood since the Magpies signed Michael Owen in 2005.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, as quoted by the Chronicle (13.24), Scotland international Ritchie suggested that the fee would make little difference to his new teammate.
He said: “I think the price tag now is irrelevant. Obviously it’s irrelevant to us because we’re the players but I understand the club have spent a lot of money but I think the price tag for a player is irrelevant.
“You come here, you’ve worked hard to get your move or join a group – and all you want to do impress, whether you come in for £5m, £20m, it’s irrelevant for the player.
“You need to come, and hopefully make a difference, and I’m sure the lad is going to do that.”
OPINION
Ritchie is probably right on this one. Almiron won’t be too bothered by the hefty price tag that he has arrived for, he will only be concerned with getting down to business and showing his new club exactly what he is capable of. The difference between £10 million and £20 million matters little to player, and ultimately amounts to nothing more than a few extra numbers being transferred from one screen to another. Once you reach that level of money, it becomes almost unreal, and while it is nice for Almiron that the Toon Army have seen fit to splash out that amount of cash on his signature, it shouldn’t affect the way he plays or how he conducts himself. The big question will be, however, how quickly can the 24-year-old adapt to the Premier League?Nobody could blame him if it took a little while for him to get up to speed, but Newcastle need an immediate impact, and if he cannot produce one, the pressure may just start to eek up.
