Revealed! The intriguing inside track on Miguel Almiron's record move to Newcastle United

Miguel Almiron's agent Daniel Campos has hit out at Atlanta United over the delay in his record move to Newcastle United.
Miguel AlmironMiguel Almiron
Miguel Almiron

Following a month-long transfer saga, Almiron finally joined the Magpies on deadline day for a deal worth £21m - however Campos has expressed his discontent towards the MLS club.

Campos admitted Almiron left the USA "not very pleased" with Atlanta after they put "many obstacles in front" of him with a move to the Premier League "his objective".

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He also revealed three other clubs were interested in the Paraguayan but United won the race as Rafa Benitez "asked for him specifically."

Read the full transcript below after Campos spoke to South Florida-based Juan G Arango:

Interest from elsewhere and becoming United's record signing

"I had already been in Paraguay nine weeks ago, then two weeks ago. Miguel knew about Newcastle United interest plus three other clubs.

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“He waited calmly, he’s not an anxious kid. He achieved his objective. He wanted to play in the Premier League.

“He took things with serenity but also with the responsibility that it entails.

“What is shown at times is not the reflection of what goes on inside. The procession is usually lived on the inside. He was excited.

“He’s coming to England as a star, not as someone that is going to be filling a spot. He comes in as the biggest transfer in that club’s (Newcastle’s) history.

“He has a huge responsibility and he assumes it."

Difficulties from the Atlanta side

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“How should I say this…Atlanta United put many obstacles in front of us. They did not give us the response that we were expecting. But, each one defends their interests. There were many things that happened that were not the proper way to do them.

“I have been in this for 25 years and when it comes to these types of things, the club tends to forget what the player did for them. The only thing that the team cares about is getting a profit and winning in a negotiation – Atlanta did not treat him very well.

“This was something that we had to overcome and we overcame it.

“The club put a number (price tag) on him that they believed was the right one. We went out 70 days ago with that number and the market said he was not worth that amount…but they were stuck on that

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“I am not going to talk about numbers but they were stubborn with that number. So a negotiation that could have gone smoothly, we had to go until the last minute with pressure from all sides.

“They ended up agreeing on the same number I brought to them over 25 days ago."

Almiron wasn't happy with the MLS club

“These are things that happen. Football has these things. I can tell you that (Miguel Almiron) did not leave very pleased with (Atlanta), he will talk about it when the time comes. Now it is not the time.

“We lost a lot of time as well as other things, that I will not mention right now. They did affect the player economically in the end and that should not have happened.

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“This happens, he knows it. The same thing happened when he left (Argentine club) Lanus. It was a friendly club, the same thing at Cerro Porteño. They value the player when he’s coming in, when he’s leaving… it is just a commercial transaction.

“Not every club is like that, but the economic end seems to be a higher priority over anything else. The player is one of the biggest idols for Atlanta fans. This has NOTHING to do with the people or the owner. This has to do with the people that make decisions…

“In the end, it was just an obstacle. We had to resolve things as we were pressured for time. They had very few options."

Why the delay in the move had nothing to do with Newcastle

“Miguel had to make a decision and because of that, he lost a significant amount of money that should not have happened. This has NOTHING to do with Newcastle United.

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“In the end, it’s money. What can you do? It’s not the only thing at the end of the day.

“He’s now where he wants to be, he has a five-year contract.

“I will reiterate, there were offers from much bigger clubs that wanted loans and to purchase a percentage of the player.

“I wanted him to be on a team where he can be the (main) protagonist.

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“The teams here in England are inundated with stars. It’s not a matter of him not being able to play (elsewhere), it’s having the opportunity to play.

“Newcastle United is a club where the manager asked for him specifically.

“He was this team’s top priority in the transfer market.”