Signed back in January 2019 under Rafa Benitez for a fee just over £20m - still the record sale for a MLS player. The Spanish speaking front three of Almiron, Perez and Rondon helped Almiron settle in intially, however Ayoze Perez and Saloman Rondon left that summer.
Fast forward two and a half years at the club, in 22/23 - it was Almiron's best season by quite some distance, scoring some stunning goals, including the goal of the season for the club with his outrageous volley against Fulham, Newcastle finished in a Champions League place with Almiron very much in the heart of it, scoring 11 goals in the Premier League that campaign.
Other memorable goals during his time at the Club, include the stunning strike against Crystal Palace, where Bruno Guimaraes chests the ball down in his own half and pings it out to the right wing to Almiron on the attack, then cutting in and smashing the ball in to the top of the corner, and who can forget the opener in the 4-1 win over PSG at St. James' Park? The noise that night was mental, we will never forget that night, and he was a apart of that.
As Newcastle transitioned from being a club that was based on surviving each season under the ownership of Mike Ashley, spending very little and the aim to survive each campaign, to having a takeover that would elevate the team with new hopes and ambitions, with a new manager in Eddie Howe installed. As The Magpies soured up the Premier League, the performances and calibre of signings were far greater than what Almiron was playing with before the arrival of Howe. Almiron has struggled the past 18 months due to inconsistency, and because of the expectation of individuals and the team is greater since the takeover, the Paraguayan has fell out of favour, with Jacob Murphy now ahead of him in the pecking order, plus others who aren't normally deployed on the right wing are playing ahead of him, with the likes of Gordon, Joelinton and Barnes having spells over there this season.
In total, Almiron has featured 223 appearances in all competitions, with 12 assists and 30 goals.
The send off for Miggy at Southampton was something else, watching Eddie Howe walk through the crowd of players as the squad clapped the fans off and vice versa, Jason Tindall and Eddie Howe made sure he took in the applause and the singing from the fans, by pushing him forward to take it all in. There's no doubt Howe loves Almiron, who gives his all, supporters acknowledge this as well, and the player may not be the most glamourous name on the team sheet, but you know what you get - graft and endeaver.
At the age of almost 31, Almiron is only being used sparingly recently, and an international player needs more than that at his stage of his career. Heading back to Atlanta, it will be easy to settle. He knows the city, the fans, knows the club inside out and he has happy memories there, he is loved there and our USA pre-season friendly against Chelsea at the Mercedes-Benz in 2023, they all came out for him - of course he scored to his adoring public - I was amazed at how much Georgians love him.
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