The intriguing £15m Fulham winger transfer swoop that could supercharge attacking threat

One of the classic transfer window tropes is the sudden rejuvenation of old rumours just as the deadline approaches – seemingly dead-and-buried stories from back in May and June which suddenly spring back to life like the villain at the end of a bad horror movie. One such contrived jump scare could be coming the way of Newcastle United fans.

Earlier this summer, fan favourite and St. James’ Park stalwart Miguel Almirón was linked with a move to either Saudi Arabia or the United States, but a deal never materialised and the Paraguayan winger seemed set to stay put for a seventh season with the Magpies – but now, according to Newcastle newspaper The Chronicle, he could be leaving after all, with Fulham said to be registering late interest.

That begs two questions, one easier to answer than the other – would it be sensible for Newcastle to sell the 30-year-old? And does he still have enough about him to improve Marco Silva’s attack down at Craven Cottage?

The first is the easier of the two to answer. Almirón has lost his place at the top of the Magpies’ pecking order to Jacob Murphy and is no longer the key player that he was a couple of years ago. The only problem with selling him is that a replacement would need to be found, whether it was back-up to Murphy or, more likely, a new starter. They were linked earlier in the summer with Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, and perhaps that’s a deal that could be resurrected as well, although his hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend might give the Blues pause for thought on that front.

Either way, as long as they have someone lined up it’s probably wise for Newcastle to get some cash for Almirón now – he appears to be a little past his peak now and with two years left on his contract, his value will depreciate rapidly quite soon.

For Fulham, however, the picture is less clear. The Cottagers currently have two right wingers on the books in the muscular form of Adama Traoré and the slightly less imposing figure of Harry Wilson, who can at least play elsewhere in midfield and attack if pushed aside by an incoming winger. Does Almirón offer more on the pitch than either of the players they have now?

Traoré has had the starting gig for both of Fulham’s Premier League matches so far this season despite only being named in the starting line-up once in the 2023/24 season, and he’s given us the Adama Experience that we know and love – enormous speed, lethal runs into dangerous areas and then, a little too often for comfort, a slightly wayward final ball, although he did set up Fulham’s opening goal in the 2-1 win against Leicester City last weekend.

If you want creativity and inch-perfect crosses from the flank, Traoré both is and isn’t your man – he can break the lines as well as almost any winger in the world, but his accuracy with passes and crosses isn’t the best. Nevertheless, for all that his final ball doesn’t come with the best reputation attached, he has consistently created more chances and completed more crosses than Almirón throughout their respective careers, as has Wilson. Neither of Fulham’s options are truly first-class playmakers, but Almirón generates an especially low volume of shooting chances for his team-mates. Over the past year, for instance, Traoré created just over 4.5 shooting opportunities for every 90 minutes he played, Wilson managed just over 3.5 and Almirón a mere 2.6. 92% of wingers in the ‘big five’ leagues did better than that.

In other words, if you’re signing Almirón, you’re probably doing it to add a goal threat – the man on the end of the final ball rather than the man playing it. And at his best, he has been pretty dangerous inside the area, scoring 11 in the Premier League in his best season in 2022/23, off an xG of precisely eight. Traoré, by comparison, has a much lower ceiling and has never managed more than five in a league season, while Wilson has only hit double figures in the Championship.

But while Almirón has a high top end, those 11 goals were only one less than he totalled in his other five seasons on Tyneside. Played in a more advanced role and given more chances to get on the end of direct passes and he was dangerous - however within a few months Eddie Howe noted enough of a decline in output to move Murphy ahead of him.

So what can Almirón do that his potential rivals for a starting spot at Fulham can’t? The key could be in his work off the ball, which is greatly underappreciated. Last season, the Paraguayan averaged an impressive three ball recoveries per game, around four times as many as Traoré. For all the Spaniard’s physique, he isn’t especially helpful tracking back or pressing high up.

Almirón makes more tackles and forces more turnovers then either of Fulham’s current wingers by a long chalk – so while his output in the final third may not represent a major upgrade, he could be a cost-effective purchase if Silva is keen to improve the efficacy of the press and provide some extra defensive cover down the flanks without compromising the amount of attacking threat his team have too much.

No price tag is mentioned in The Chronicle’s report - although previous reports have valued him at around £15m - which makes it tough to assess whether Fulham would be getting a bargain or Newcastle a fair price for a player who has earned the abiding love of the fans through hard work and flashes of flair. But there is certainly a point at which this deal could make sense for both sides.