Newcastle United added considerable versatility to its attack by signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo from Lille, with the Belgian capable of operating from the left wing or through the middle.
However, the 21-year-old has already made his preferred position clear. The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope reported that Fernandez-Pardo told Newcastle during transfer talks that he wants to start matches as a No. 9, and the club intends to grant that request.
“Matias Fernandez-Pardo has told Newcastle he wants to start
matches as a No 9 – and that is where they intend to play him,” Hope reported.
Fernandez-Pardo spent much of last season on the left for Lille before moving centrally toward the end of the campaign. He had rarely been used as a striker before that switch, starting only once as a No. 9 in Ligue 1 during the previous season.
Despite that limited experience, Fernandez-Pardo views his future through the middle. His preference was discussed before Newcastle completed the £51 million transfer last month, and Hope reported that the plan has not changed since his arrival. Newcastle’s interest in pursuing his transfer also appears to have been heavily influenced by the forward’s ability to play both positions.
According to Hope, the club’s data analysts identified only two players whose output from left wing and center forward produced a similar profile to former Newcastle star Anthony Gordon. Fernandez-Pardo was one. The other was Cologne’s Said El Mala, who remained at the Bundesliga club this summer but was (and still is) heavily linked to Newcastle this summer.
Hope reported that the Belgian is expected to compete with William Osula for Newcastle’s starting striker role once the Denmark international returns from injury. Yoane Wissa, meanwhile, is likely to operate more frequently as a No. 10.
Would you start Fernandez-Pardo through the middle, or do you think Newcastle would get more from him on the left wing? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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