It was certainly a mixed pre season start for new Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle, and obviously the face in the St James Park dug out has not been the only change that loyal fans have had to adjust to as the summer progressed either.
With the 38 year old former German professional centre back coming in as Eddie Howe’s replacement, he also quickly had to deal with the big money departures of Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, but we have spent well it seems bringing in Bazoumana Toure, Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba, Lukas Hornicek, Amar Dedic and most recently Nico Gonzalez.
With the dealings so far we remain about a net £30 million in profit as well, so with Deadline Day now fast approaching as the summer transfer window comes to an end, there could still be another face or two drafted in. Given the ongoing speculation doing the rounds on the rumour mill and the best betting apps will be carrying those odds. In some ways though, regulars on the Gallowgate can be forgiven for thinking that our transfer dealings are now and were brought to an end with the eventual capture of high priority target Nico Gonzalez from Manchester City.
Originally signed by the Etihad Stadium outfit to fill the boots left by Rodri when he was injured, he naturally struggled for starting game time given the alternative options available to Pep Guardiola, particularly when Rodri eventually returned to fitness and action. In 18 months with them though, he did still feature 59 times across all competitions, scoring four goals, and has come away with a number of winners medals having played his part in their successes.
With eleven Spanish Under 21 international caps to his name, at the age of 24 years old, he obviously wants far greater game time and to become a lynchpin in his own right in a team so he can also boost his full international chances in the future, and as long as his individual performances merit it, he will more than get that opportunity at Newcastle and if he makes the defensive midfielder position his own this season, we could have a future hero in the making.
We have certainly put our faith in him, spending a reported eventual total of £52 million on him and we have handed him a long term contract on Tyneside and having completed his medical earlier in the week, he has now been handed the Number 6 shirt for the remainder of the current season, and his time with us.
Giving his first proper interviews since signing, he made special mention of having experienced our home atmosphere on two occasions and how he was now relishing the opportunity to have the fans cheering him on as opposed to – well, what happens to opposition players when they visit our home soil.
We needed to be patient to get the deal over the line, but now it is all signed and sealed, we will simply see how he settles in and gets on.
Image Source: unsplash.com
