Wow moment helped seal deal for Lazaro’s Magpies switch
Steve Bruce has spoken about the “wow” moment that helped seal a deal for Valentino Lazaro.
The Inter Milan winger yesterday joined Newcastle United on loan for the rest of the season.
Lazaro had also been a target for RB Leipzig, the Bundesliga leaders, and Max Hagmayr, his agent, visited both clubs.
Hagmayr was at St James’s Park for last weekend’s 1-0 win over Chelsea at St James’s Park.
The game was decided by a 94th-minute goal from Isaac Hayden, and the team’s never-say-die attitude – and the stadium’s reaction to the goal – impressed Hagmayr.
Asked about the club’s pitch to Lazaro, head coach Steve Bruce said: “Newcastle
beating Chelsea last week with Lazaro’s agent here was ‘wow’.
“To beat competition like Leipzig is terrific for a club like us. He could have gone to the top of the Bundesliga. It just shows that we’ve still got that little bit of a pull where people want to play for a big club with the support we’ve got, and the Premier League’s always a pull.
“Lazaro’s all about playing and going to the Euros and playing with Austria. We’ve worked extremely hard pull it off, people behind the scenes as well, because when somebody like him becomes available, then I’m sure there were many suitors.”
Lazaro is the club’s second transfer window signing after Nabil Bentaleb, who has joined on loan from Schalke 04.
The team has found goals hard to come by so far this season – and Bruce believes the loan signings can help.