MX23RW : Thursday, February 7 19:35:13

"Animal" Almiron to bare his teeth at Newcastle United

© Reuters
The 24-year-old joined the Magpies from Atlanta United on deadline day for a club record fee.

Miguel Almiron will let his football do the talking as he attempts to prove he is worthy of the title of Newcastle's record signing.

The 24-year-old Paraguay international was unveiled at St James' Park on Thursday afternoon, but without fanfare and the thousands of fans who turned out to witness the arrivals of predecessors Alan Shearer in 1996 and Michael Owen nine years later.

Nevertheless, his capture from MLS side Atlanta United has created a buzz on Tyneside as the Toon Army prepare for their first sight of a man whose talents they have so far been able to view only on a YouTube video.

Asked if he had compiled the impressive set of clips himself, Almiron said: "No. My best mate made the compilation."

He added with a smile: "You'll only see if that was true when I play."

Almiron's signing, for a fee believed to be in the region of £21million, went some way towards placating manager Rafael Benitez, who had grown increasingly exasperated by the club's transfer business in recent windows.

The Spaniard is hoping for big things from a man who was at the top of his list, although Almiron has brushed off suggestions he could establish himself as a hero on Gallowgate.

He said: "I don't for one minute consider myself to be an idol or a hero. What I want to try and do is my best for this club and help out my team-mates by doing what I can out there on the field.

"Every player who comes to the Premier League comes with a dream to achieve something big, and it's similar with me.

"I want to work really hard to help my team-mates as a group and bring something to the team, add quality."

The diminutive Almiron comes from a humble background in Asunción, where his father worked as a security guard and his mother in a supermarket before his success allowed them to retire.

He has been described by former team-mate Kenwyne Jones as "an animal" on the pitch and nicknamed "the lizard" for the way he runs.

He is a Christian – he has a quotation from scripture, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life", tattooed on his right forearm – and attends church when he can.

The midfield playmaker, who could make his debut at Wolves on Monday evening, said: "I'm not an angel, though I try to go every so often to church to put right my sins."


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A general view inside Molineux, the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers, in January 2018
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City26202468204862
2Liverpool25195156154162
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs25190651242757
4Chelsea25155545232250
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd25146549351448
6Arsenal25145651361547
7Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2511593332138
8Watford259793334-134
9Everton2696113638-233
10Bournemouth25103123744-733
11Leicester CityLeicester2595113031-132
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham2595113138-732
13Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2576122736-927
14Crystal Palace2575132633-726
15Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2566132133-1224
16Southampton2559112742-1524
17Burnley2566132646-2024
18Cardiff CityCardiff2564152246-2422
19Fulham2545162555-3017
20Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2525181346-3311

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