‘Get rid’ - Shocking Fabian Schar stat gives Newcastle United clear January transfer order

A collective groan echoed around Tyneside on 74 minutes against Brentford. A huff and a puff as Newcastle United’s questionable squad depth was laid bare with one final roll of the dice…

In the build-up to Saturday’s 4-2 defeat in West London, Paraguayan media branded Newcastle United a “joke” for “wasting” their Premier League poster boy. Strong stuff by all accounts.

That is a rather rude assessment for a club stuck with a player whose abilities far subdued the required standard. Because for almost six years, barring a four-month purple patch in 2022-23, Miguel Almiron has underperformed at St James’ Park.

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Eddie Howe brought the 30-year-old on as a desperate ploy to wrestle an equaliser - having previously fought back on two occasions. But a familiarly weak, milquetoast display with little attacking guile offered little to the Toon frontline.

It is hard not to like Almiron on a personal level. His smile beams as wide as the Tyne and that relentless work rate can never be questioned.

However, if Newcastle are serious about becoming European juggernauts, the three-and-a-half year contract dished out in February 2023 must come under question. Only in hindsight do we see things for what they are - and few could argue with that now being a mistake.

Perhaps a worse indictment on the Magpies is how tame they have been towards the forward. Reports last January suggested Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab were expressing interest.

Fast forward to the summer and new MLS franchise Charlotte FC wanted to bring Almiron back to the league that began his ascent to England. But wedded to a bumper Premier League contract with 18 months left to run, the Paraguayan is going nowhere.

His agent, Daniel Campos, brazenly admitted his client’s intentions last month. He said: “He (Almiron) has a valid contract, it was renewed last year for three more. Miguel is not desperate for money or crazy things. If there is an offer from a team, we will go through the appropriate channels.

“So it seems that he has another (18 months) left on his contract with Newcastle United and that, unless some other club makes a significant offer, with corresponding wages, he will stay on Tyneside for a while yet.”

Almiron, like Jordan Belfort in the Martin Scorsese classic The Wolf of Wall Street, is not leaving - although that fact would likely not be met with the same rapturous applause. In a PSR-dominated world where Newcastle must sell to buy, his name should be top of the exodus list to fund a new, dynamic right-winger that can transform the Toon attack.

One alarming statistic paints the picture perfectly. In nine fewer appearances since joining Newcastle, Fabian Schar - a centre-back - has registered one more Premier League assist than Almiron.

Show that brutal, cold, hard fact to anyone still hypnotised in a state of sentiment. Newcastle must thank Almiron and give him a pat on the back before ruthlessly sending him on his way this winter.