Newcastle star who’s “nowhere near his best” is becoming the new Almiron

Many of Eddie Howe’s trusty Newcastle United old guard now find themselves on borrowed time on Tyneside.

Indeed, with just two wins next to their name from their opening eight Premier League games, it’s clear that the Toon aren’t firing on all cylinders anymore week in week out, with figures such as Dan Burn on shaky ground arguably when it comes to consistent first-team minutes heading their way in the near future.

Burn will be worrying when he will next be reinstated to the heart of the Magpies’ defence with the emergence of Malick Thiaw into the side, with the £30m summer recruit already looking right at home on English shores, hailed by some as their “signing of the summer.”

With Kieran Trippier not getting any younger in the right-back spot, either, it does feel as if Newcastle are heading towards a situation where a refresh is needed in certain areas of the squad.

Obviously, watching these Toon stalwarts decline in front of their very eyes will be heartbreaking to watch from a Newcastle fan’s perspective.

But, Newcastle have been here before in terms of having to pull the plug on a once regular starter in the form of Miguel Almiron, who was a beloved presence at St James’ Park, even if his playing days in black and white did unfortunately fizzle out.

Almiron’s decline at Newcastle

Even if it did end in Almiron being offloaded back to Atlanta United last January for a cheap £11m fee, considering he was once purchased for £20m by the Premier League side, it’s clear from goals such as his outrageous curled effort against Everton that the South American is still fondly remembered as an entertainer on Tyneside.

Back in January of 2019, the Paraguayan entering the building for that high amount meant that he was seen as a statement purchase from the get-go, which had a negative effect initially on him being able to settle in his new environment.

Staggeringly, it took Almiron 27 appearances in the Premier League before he finally broke his top-flight duck with a strike against Crystal Palace.

Thankfully, with a monkey now off his back, the 31-year-old would eventually go on to be seen as a “very special” asset to have around St James’ Park by Howe.

Across a mighty 223 appearances for the Toon, Almiron netted 30 goals and 16 assists for the club, with one of those efforts even pushing the former number 24 into the record books to sit alongside Magpies royalty in Alan Shearer.

Amazingly, Almiron would score Newcastle’s first strike in Champions League action since 2003 when getting the ball rolling during that famous night against PSG at St James’ Park, with Shearer the last goalscorer to bag for the Toon in such an illustrious competition, before Almiron delivered.

With an 11-goal Premier League season also under his belt during the 2022/23 campaign, it appeared as if Almiron would be sticking it out with Newcastle until the very end of his long career, with the 31-year-old continuing to age gracefully as a star capable of serving up “magical” moments, as his manager also waxed lyrical.

However, all began to unravel for Almiron last season, as the adaptable attacker – who can play all over the attacking positions if needed – was frozen out of his manager’s lineups, as injury issues also took a hold of the declining South American.

Even when he was fit and free of knee troubles, the once slick and daring forward looked a shadow of his former self, with zero goals or assists coming his way during limited opportunities last campaign.

In the end, Almiron closed out his long-standing affliation with the Toon on a sombre note, with a very real fear in the air now that Howe has an Almiron 2.0 scenario going on.

Newcastle have another Almiron problem

Around the time Almiron joined the club in 2019, Newcastle were splashing the cash regularly on some exciting new gems.

In the summer transfer window after the 5-foot-9 playmaker had moved to England from America, Newcastle also purchased Allan Saint-Maximin, who was guilty of some hit-and-miss moments himself on Tyneside.

Alongside him, the Toon also went all out to land Joelinton for a whopping £40m.

At the start, much like his fellow South American counterpart before him, Joelinton severely struggled in the bright lights of the Premier League, with the-then striker seen as an expensive laughing stock, when scoring just a meagre two league goals during his debut campaign.

However, much like Almiron managed, Joelinton would breathe significant life into his Magpies playing days the more he became attuned to the intense nature of the English game, with Howe’s decision-making to push him into a central midfield spot proving to be a masterstroke.

Even Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher heralded the no-nonsense Brazilian as a “revelation” for what he would go on to offer his side from the middle of the park, with a clear highlight of his 230-game spell in black and white to date surely being the Carabao Cup trophy being lifted earlier this year.

Joelinton was vital in that 2-1 upset being pulled off against Arne Slot’s heavily fancied Liverpool, and although he didn’t add to his goal or assist tally at Wembley – which stands at an impressive 52 goal contributions – it’s clear why Howe once noted that the 29-year-old was “gold dust”, always putting in a shift when needed.

Yet, despite all his past successes making him an undoubted modern icon, time has seemingly caught up with Joelinton in the same way it begun to weigh down on Almiron, with this season – in particular – highlighting the number seven’s alarming drop-off.

Joelinton’s creative spark has now left his game, with zero goals or assists coming his way in league action from seven largely forgettable games, with his energy and determination also lacking, when you consider he has only won 4.2 duels per game across that same span of games. As journalist Mark Douglas noted after Saturday’s defeat to Brighton, the midfielder is now “nowhere near his best.”

To add context, at the peak of his powers during the 2022/23 campaign, he won a high seven duels per game, with his lacklustre showing last time out against Brighton seeing Magpie Media state that his performance was “tough to watch.”

With Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes still performing at their optimum in the middle of the park – with Tonali boldly being branded as “world-class” by one Newcastle content creator this season – it feels as if Newcastle might need to have some tough conversations soon about ditching Joelinton, with Almiron leaving the building initially hurting, but is now seen as the correct and decisive call looking back.