Newcastle United's 'unfathomable' transfer decision that could determine course of the season

The future of Miguel Almiron is about much more than the winger's exit

Newcastle United have been told that it would be 'unfathomable' for the club to cash in on Miguel Almiron this month and not bring in a replacement for the winger. Almiron is set for a return to Atlanta United, six-years after he moved to Tyneside from the MLS club for a then club-record fee of £20 million.

220 appearances - and 30 goals - later, Almiron's time at the club is all but at an end. The writing has been on the wall from the start of the season for the Paraguay international with Toon boss Eddie Howe using him sparingly, yet there is a viewpoint that should Newcastle not replace Almiron this month, the winger should not be allowed to leave.

The word from those inside the club - and Howe publicly - is that there won't be much business this month, and in particular no incomings. This is despite Newcastle chasing down a Champions League spot and being on the cusp of a cup final but the threat of a penalty for breaching PSR restrictions means those at the club are playing it cautious.

Almiron's imminent exit - said to be worth £11 million - would represent pure profit as the winger has been at the club long enough that his original value has been written off, but even with that in mind, Almiron's move is not likely to be followed up by a new arrival in a position that most consider a priority.

Speaking on The Everything is Black and White Podcast, Newcastle United Editor, Aaron Stokes, explained the situation with regards Almiron as well as Lloyd Kelly who has been subject to interest from Juventus.

“Eddie Howe doesn't want to lose players this month. If I'm totally honest, I'm not even sure he's convinced about losing Miguel Almiron," he said. "In an ideal world, he would like to keep everybody purely because he knows Newcastle are really unlikely to spend and his squad is looking so thin as it is.

"But for me personally, they've got to try and roll the dice this month. You have to sign players. It is unfathomable to lose him this month and only have, as it stands, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy and William Osula as your four attackers because we don't know when Harvey Barnes or Callum Wilson are going to be back.

"Alex Murphy is at Bolton on loan, that means if you lose Lloyd Kelly you've got four centre backs at your disposal and that's it. They have to, I think, find the money somewhere even if that means that in the summer, they have to sell."

You can listen to the full episode by clicking here or watch it via YouTube here.