Newcastle United 'plan to accept' offer for the third most used player of the Eddie Howe era

Newcastle United are reportedly willing to accept an offer for former Eddie Howe favourite Miguel Almiron in the January transfer window.

Almiron has played just 30 minutes of Premier League football this season and has fallen down the pecking order behind fellow wingers Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy in recent months.

The Paraguayan international has been heavily linked with a move away from St James’ Park in both of the last two transfer windows and is no longer considered a part of Howe’s long-term plans, according to Football Insider.

The outlet interviewed former Manchester United, Sunderland and West Ham United scout Mick Brown, who claimed that the 30-year-old is likely to leave the North East to raise funds for a new signing in his position.

Brown said: “Yes, that’s one I’ve heard they’re looking to do and get a deal done. He doesn’t feature regularly in their team any more, under Eddie Howe. He was always a bit of a bright space and he looks electric at times but he’s not consistent or efficient enough to play regularly at the top level. Now they’ve made the decision to move him on.

“They’ve got people already that can cover for him, but any fee they do get for him will likely be reinvested in that position. That right-hand side is certainly a concern of theirs and they’ll look to bring in money from Almiron’s sale to avoid those financial regulations. Letting Almiron leave will free up that money to spend in January.”

Almiron arrived at St James’ Park from Atalanta United in the MLS to great fanfare in January 2019 when he became the club’s all-time record transfer, breaking a record which had been held for more than 12 years by Michael Owen. Rafael Benitez’s last-ever signing struggled to hit the ground running in front of goal but was lauded in his first six months for bringing a sense of pace and exuberance to the team which had been lacking at the time.

Despite only scoring eight goals and producing three assists across the next two seasons, he along with Allan Saint-Maximin was perceived to be one of the team’s main threats moving forward due to his blistering speed and exceptional workrate.

In the 2022/23 campaign as Newcastle finished fourth, fans finally saw the best of Almiron as he fired in a solid return of 11 goals and four assists across all competitions. He notably scored the club’s first goal in the Champions League for 20 years against PSG en route to a famous victory but struggled to produce the same productivity in the season prior with just three goals and one assist in the league.

With 112 appearances in three seasons, Almiron is the third most used player of the Howe era and one that he has clearly valued highly during his time with the club. However, given the constraints of FFP and the team’s desire to regain a place in Europe it is thought to be a sale that they may consider in the near future.

In recent months, Everton and Charlotte FC have reportedly shown interest in the winger while Saudi side Al Shabab were reportedly knocked back in January after failing to meet Almiron’s £30m price tag that was set at that time.