A thousand and one names have been linked with a move to Newcastle United this summer, but not once has Kevin Keegan’s first signing Jonas Gutierrez appeared among them. Then again, given his habit of wearing a Spiderman mask when he scores a goal, he could have been on Tyneside in all sorts of different guises these last few weeks!
But what a welcome surprise his arrival is for those who had begun to fret about whether the Magpies would manage to land anyone of note before the start of the season.
An Argentina international, the 25-year-old is precisely the sort of attacking wideman Keegan loves and if he is the sort of player Keegan loves, it’s pretty safe to assume he will also be the sort of player the fans love watching.
Although the fee to bring him from Real Mallorca was not released by either club on Wednesday morning it is thought to be in the region of £7m - a figure Manchester City were quoted last season. It is a bold, ambitious signing and one which finally delivers some sort of statement of ambition from owner Mike Ashley. Importantly, given the way Keegan enthused about him, he would also appear to be his signing and not one forced upon him by others!
Yet, if I may urge a slight note of caution I’d just like to remind everyone that players who have shone in Spain’s La Liga are not always capable of replicating that sort of form in the Premier League. Newcastle have had their fingers burnt before in this manner, but hopefully Gutierrez has a little bit more about him than Magpie misfits Marcelino and Albert Luque!
Although Gutierrez is arriving from Spain he is an Argentinean and they have a rather better track record in English football than other Latin nations. Ossie Ardiles, Ricky Villa, Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano, Manchester United’s Carlos Tevez and of course Sunderland and Middlesbrough’s Julio Arca have all been a big hit.
Then again, United fans will also remember the likes of Daniel Cordone and Christian Bassedas, the last two Argentineans to sign for the club who spent most of their time in the reserves trying to come to terms with the pace of the game!
The great thing about Argentineans - if you’ll excuse the sweeping generalisation - is they’re not adverse to the physical side of the game and they like, if you’ll also excuse the shameless pun, a bit of Argy Bargy when it’s needed!
Given that Gutierrez is a right winger with pace and skill it is easy to see why there have been question marks surrounding the future of James Milner. Gutierrez will be in direct competition with the England Under-21 international for a place in the side and, when you have spent around £7m on a player, you would expect him to be first choice.
Quite what Milner will make of this I’m not sure. He probably won’t be happy, but he also has the sort of character which will ensure he gets his head down and fights for his place. Presuming, that is, that Keegan isn’t willing to let him go, which isn’t certain at this stage.
I have to admit, I’m not one of Milner’s biggest fans. What I mean by that is I’m not blind to his faults and weaknesses, as some are, just because the guy runs around a lot and always seems to be putting the effort in on the pitch.
Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a decent player with an excellent attitude, but my problem with him is that he hasn’t really developed since he arrived at St James’s Park four years ago. He was a promising, but unrefined wideman when he was signed from Leeds United and he remains an unrefined wideman with promise, despite gaining plenty of Premier League experience at Leeds, Aston Villa (on loan) and Newcastle.
For me, he struggles to get his head up when he runs with the ball and his crossing is often terrible when in dangerous positions. He doesn’t score many goals and, as assists go, he does not create enough either.
Nevertheless, it is easy to forget that he is still just 22 and I wouldn’t want to sell him just because Gutierrez has arrived in the wide right position. He still has plenty of time to develop his game and I would hate to see Newcastle selling a young English player only to seem him blossom at a rival club.
Hopefully the challenge of Gutirrez will help bring out the best in a player whose potential remains unfulfilled at this stage. It might be time to see what Milner is really made of!
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