Almiron the key to Rafa’s Toon future

ON a sunny August day in 2005, a huge throng of ecstatic Newcastle United fans gathered at St James’ Park to welcome £16million record buy Michael Owen to Tyneside.

It was a repeat of the joyous scenes nine years earlier when a disbelieving Toon Army turned out in their thousands to salute Geordie legend Alan Shearer as their £15m world-record capture.

Those exciting, headline-grabbing days had simply become distant memories in the austere Mike Ashley era until £21m Paraguayan playmaker Miguel Almiron was signed last week.

Incredibly, it had taken Newcastle more than 13 years to beat their own transfer record – Ashley owning the club for almost 12 of those years.

Unlike the huge outpouring of passion and publicity that greeted the famous England striking duo, Almiron’s arrival was understated.

After all, £20m-plus deals are hardly big news any more. Eight years ago, for example, Newcastle sold Andy Carroll to Liverpool for £35m. Many Toon fans hadn’t heard of the Atlanta United schemer until news broke that Almiron was boss Rafa Benitez’s top target.

Ashley felt Almiron was overpriced and another standoff between owner and manager ensued.

American pundits insist that Almiron is not only the most expensive player to come out of the MLS – but also the best.

There’s no doubting his skill, pace and goals at MLS level. But he faces a big jump in terms of the quality of opponents he faces and the increased physicality of English football.

Benitez believes he will cope.

It looks as if the Spaniard’s nuanced hints about not signing a new contract forced Ashley to finally spend ahead of United’s win over Manchester City.

The Spaniard may have won a small victory over Almiron, but my feeling is that deal alone won’t keep him in Toon.

If Benitez receives cast-iron guarantees from Ashley on transfer funding – and that’s a big if – there’s still a chance he could be persuaded to sign a new contract – minus the financial handcuffs his last deal had.