da bwin： Valentino Lazaro’s agent, Max Hagmayr, has revealed to The Chronicle that he would “not say no” to a permanent deal at the end of his loan spell at the club.
What’s the story?
da lvbet： The Austria international signed on loan from Internazionale during the January transfer window, and has featured in just one game so far.
Who the heck is that?! Can you name all 25 of these obscure Newcastle signings…
Talking to the north-east outlet, Hagmayr said: “When I see Valentino now and how happy he is, I know we did a few things right coming here. We will see what’s going on in the next few months but first of all we have to live in the now. I would not say no [to a permanent deal] because we appreciate everything Newcastle is doing for Valentino.”
Wait and see
Lazaro is a talented player. After, Inter did decide to pay €22m (£18.6m) to Hertha Berlin for his services last summer, and he showed his attacking threat whilst in the German capital – he managed three goals and six assists from right-back in his last term in the Bundesliga.
However, he has just 36 minutes to his name so far at Newcastle, and it remains to be seen whether he will fit in to Steve Bruce’s side. Lazaro is a player that clearly favours attacking football, but that is not something that Toon fans have seen too often from the former Sheffield Wednesday boss. No team has registered a lower average possession percentage than the Magpies’ 39.4% in the Premier League this season, whilst only Crystal Palace (9.5) have managed less than their 9.9 shots per game.
By signing Lazaro, Bruce may be indicating that he wants to be more expansive, but at the end of the day he is just one player amongst a squad that is used to playing what can only be described as a negative style of football. The Austrian should expect to receive his fair share of minutes, but whether he enjoys himself is a different matter. After less than a month on Tyneside, it is far too soon to look to a permanent deal – for now, he needs to prove himself in the Premier League and see whether it really is a good fit.
Meanwhile, this Liverpool man deserves to win PFA Player of the Year.