One-time record signing has known for a year that Newcastle want to sell him - journalist

Imagine rocking up to work every day knowing that your boss is just looking for an excuse to get rid of you.

That has been the reality at Newcastle United for winger Miguel Almiron who has been linked with a move away from Newcastle during the both of the last two transfer windows, and yet the Paraguayan still remains on the books at St James' Park.

Chris Waugh has confirmed in his Q&A with fans for The Athletic that Miggy has been aware of his 'unwanted' status for a year.

Newcastle tried to shift on the winger to Saudi Arabia in January and then again in the summer as well as almost finding him a move back to the MLS.

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As Waugh points out, knowing that the club doesn't see him as part of their plans for the future is bound to have affected his morale and ultimately his performances.

"Almiron had a wonderful 2022-23 — scoring 11 times — but, aside from that season, he has never managed more than four Premier League goals in a campaign. He did make a positive impact off the bench against Everton, but he had a disrupted summer due to his involvement in the Copa America, and he lost his starting place to a player who was already at the club, rather than a summer signing.

"The 30-year-old also knows Newcastle have been open to selling him for a year, so that is bound to have affected his performances."

It has been pretty obvious that Newcastle were trying to move on the one-time club record signing who arrived for £21 million back in 2019, and yet the winger has seemed very reluctant to move.

I suppose it's easy for us to see it from the outside looking in that he's clearly not wanted so why won't he just move to somewhere where he'll get to play, but of course there's more to think about than just the football.

Miggy has a family and is settled in the North East and may not want to just uproot and move to another country for the sake of it. A move has to make sense for the player too and we've got to respect Miggy for not just going where the money is - as much as it is a drain on our club's resources.

That being said, given the club's failure to bring in a right-winger in the last two windows, it's probably for the best that Almiron dug in and refused to move.