Newcastle United boast a crop of players of a far greater collective quality than anything England's north east has witnessed over the past few decades.
True enough, the Magpies clinched Europa League football in 2012 and did so with a sturdy defence and a scintillating attack, but Eddie Howe has constructed a squad capable of sustaining success for many years, something Alan Pardew's team failed to do in their one-season European sojourn.
Not only has St. James' Park been transformed with new additions such as Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier and Alexander Isak, but players such as Joelinton and Fabian Schar have harnessed their potential and are thriving at the centre of the system.
Another, Miguel Almiron, has been positively radiant in the Magpies attack over the past few years after initially struggling.
How did Miguel Almiron previously perform for Newcastle?
The Paraguayan dynamo was signed from MLS outfit Atlanta United in a club-record £21m transfer in February 2019, having just posted 13 goals and assists apiece in the United States of America.
However, he did not hit the ground running and failed to register a direct contribution across ten Premier League appearances before the summer of 2019, starting nine times.
His first full season was not much better; while the 50-cap international bagged eight goals across all competitions, half of those came in the FA Cup against lower-league opposition, scoring just four times from 35 starts in the English top-flight.
This was the same tally as Dwight Gayle, who actually achieved the total in just ten starting displays, and despite this, he was branded a "shocking" player by journalist Matt Murphy.
In fact, Almiron actually failed to surpass that four-goal tally across any of his first three campaigns in the Premier League, plundering a measly five goals across the subsequent two terms.
Criticised for his lack of end product, the 29-year-old has always been held in good regard by the Tyneside faithful despite his profligacy due to a tenacious approach and unwavering work-rate, but there was an undeniable desire to start seeing the goals rain down with more satisfying regularity, and that they did.
How good is Miguel Almiron now?
Last season, the £60k-per-week wideman scored 11 times in the Premier League while supplying two assists from 29 Premier League starts, with eight of those goals coming in a ten-match burst of prolific form.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 14% for goals scored per 90, highlighting a crispness in possession and newfound predatory instinct in front of goal that has left him a starring member of Newcastle's flourishing squad.
This term, he has only scored twice from nine contests but both strikes have arrived in the past two divisional clashes – promising form considering Paris Saint-Germain are now just around the corner in the Champions League.
Heralded for his “sensational” rise to the fore by journalist Josh Bunting, Almiron has now subjectively cemented himself as Newcastle's finest right winger in many years, perhaps even eclipsing the impact of Moussa Sissoko, who arguably played his finest football at St. James' Park.
Tottenham Hotspur signed Sissoko in a £30m transfer on deadline day in 2016 after the Frenchman had made 133 appearances for the Magpies, scoring 12 goals and providing 19 assists. It's safe to say despite his positive performances, making an impact in the final third was not his forte, as is the opposite with the now resurgent Almiron.
Praised for his "technical quality" and "power" by former boss Pardew, Sissoko was adept at collecting the ball and charging at opponents, thriving down the right channel, but it's probably safe to say that given Almiron's performances and role in Newcastle's rise to the Champions League, he has eclipsed Sissoko's impact and legacy at the club, with the Toon sitting in mediocrity at the time.
