OPINION
There won’t be many people on Tyneside who were disappointed by the impact made by club record signing Miguel Almiron during the second half of the season.
The Paraguayan’s arrival saw a significant uptick in form, not least in the performances of his attacking cohorts Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon.
However, former England international Danny Mills clearly wasn’t too impressed by the 25-year-old: “Was it a stellar signing? No, it wasn’t,” he told Football Insider. “He’s still not that stellar signing. How many of the top six, seven, eight sides, would now go and try and buy him? I don’t think they would, not at this moment in time.”
To Mills’s credit, he also acknowledged that Almiron has played very well, but he clearly hasn’t been bowled over by the former Atlanta man’s form.
His take, though, is surely way off the mark. The winger absolutely transformed Newcastle’s fortunes, turning them from a stolid, safety-first side into one that has been involved in some of the Premier League’s most entertaining games since the turn of the year.
In that respect, given the transformative effect he’s had on his team, you’d have to say that Almiron has been a stellar signing. What more could he have done in the few months he played before picking up that season-ending injury?
He could have scored his first goal for the club, of course, but in terms of the lift he gave Rafael Benitez’s team and the city of Newcastle itself, how much more stellar can you get?
So it’s strange to see Mills come out and say this. He’s probably right about none of the top six being willing to make a move for Almiron right now, but give him time for goodness sake. He’s only been in England for four months.
So while Mills has some decent points, his overall verdict that Almiron hasn’t been a stellar signing is way off the mark, there’s no doubt about that.
