He’s a fantastic boy, player and excellent person
GAVILAN HOPES ALMIRON LOVES HIS TIME IN TOON
DIEGO Gavilan believes that Newcastle United made an excellent decision when they agreed to invest £21million to sign Miguel Almiron.
The Paraguayan international recovered from a testing start on Tyneside to score his first goals for the club in the Premier League and FA Cup and was in fantastic form when the season was suspended with six strikes to his name.
Almiron hails from Cerro Porteno, the same club Newcastle signed Gavilan from in 2000, and the pair are accustomed to each other.
It was Sir Bobby Robson who used to say: “Don’t just sign good players, sign good people” and Gavilan feels the club’s modernday judgement on Almiron was right.
Gavilan told the Chronicle: “It made me happy to know that Miguel was transferred to Newcastle, he is a very good player and an excellent person.
“I hope he has adapted to the city, especially the cold weather and English football.
“He is a fantastic boy!” Gavilan played for Newcastle during something of a South
American recruitment drive 20 years ago.
The player nicknamed Sparrowhawk, Nobby Solano, Christian Bassedas, Daniel Cordone and Clarence Acuna were all signed at a similar time.
However, unlike Almiron, not all of them got time to adapt to life in England.
Gavilan said: “It’s about getting the time for your mental and physical strength to develop your capacity and quality overall.
“All I can say is may Miguel enjoy this great moment in a fantastic club.”
Gavilan was the first Paraguayan to score for Newcastle in the Premier League and the first from his country to net in the top-flight.
When
Almiron fired home against
Crystal Palace last December it made frontpage headlines in South America.
Now Gavilan would love to be in the stands at St James’ Park to see him do it again.
He said: “Yes, I plan to visit in the future.
“Newcastle has been a city where I was happy and the people of the city have treated me excellently, also my family.
“I am very grateful to all the people in the city and especially to the fans of the club.
“I always follow their results and check to see if they’ve won games.”
Gavilan has also read about talk of Amanda Staveley, the Reuben brothers and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund taking the club off Mike Ashley’s hands.
He said: “Yes, I have observed that possibility in the news. “I hope it is a good thing for the club. “Newcastle always needs to be among the great teams and in the first places.”