Nico Gonzalez could easily have walked into a Champions League midfield after Man City - but the Matthias Jaissle sway saw him take control of Newcastle United’s.
The Spaniard was a revelation, until his legs gave out at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend. His sprayed passes from left to right and right to left, as well as metronomic short stuff gave the Magpies a platform like one rarely ever seen before.
At Manchester City he was a bit-part player, only ever the fill-in man when main-man Rodri was out. At United he’s it. Everything flows through him. Nothing gets by him.
Making him feel like no.1 went a long way to getting him Tyneside, especially when he turned down a Champions League offer to sign.
‘That’s how any player loves to feel’
He said: “That was really important. When I talked last week with the coach for the first time he made me feel really important. That’s how any player loves to feel.
“He made me feel the project was really exciting, a lot of young and talented players. I think we still have a lot to improve because there’s so much quality in the squad.”
Jaissle’s tactical approach was there for all to see in London - he managed to outwit Roberto De Zerbi, who has so often run rings around the Magpies.
Gonzalez has revealed Jaissle’s meticulous planning played a huge part in the win.
“I like him a lot because he makes everyone know exactly what they have to do before the game,” he said of the NUFC head coach.
“He focused a lot on the plan for this game and if the plan went well we’d have a good chance of winning, and it worked out exactly as he said.”
Why sign for Newcastle United?
To us it’s a no-brainer. Geordies would walk over hot coals to play in black and white. But to those on the outside, the decision isn’t always that straightforward.
Gonzalez says it was trust and gametime which made him take the leap of faith from west to east.
“They [Newcastle] made me feel like they trusted me so much. That’s really important for a player,” he said.
“I talked with them [Man City] at the start of pre-season and they told me they counted on me, so that’s why I wanted to stay, and I’d have a good chance of playing there.
“The situation changed, they brought some players. They were sincere, which I really appreciate, they told me what they felt and that the best chance for me was to look for something. I’m really happy it worked out.
“I’m 24 so I’m not old. I feel like I need to play every weekend and that’s something that at City it’s really hard. I felt like here I have my chance and that’s key.”
Turning down other offers for NUFC
Gonzalez has revealed he wasn’t short of options, had he not opted for St James’ Park - he could so easily be playing Champions League football elsewhere, but for the Geordie pull.
“Yeah, I had other options,” he said.
“I’m not going to say who I talked to, other coaches and other Champions League teams from away, but this was the best option.
“I try to never have any regrets. If I go to the future and things don’t work well I don’t have regrets. I think this is the best move for me.”
Gonzalez is at the start of a potentially fruitful partnership with Lewis Miley in the United double pivot. The former Porto, Valencia and Barcelona man says he couldn’t do what the Stanley lad could at the age of 20.
“He’s really good,” he said. “He has a lot of calm on the ball which is important. I think he’s 20.
“When I was 20 I didn’t play that well, he’s a top player.”
Raising expectations - Champions League again?
So what next at NUFC? It’s fair to say after a difficult start to the summer, by its close expectations had begun to alter. Gonzalez sees no reason why he cannot play Champions League football again at NUFC under Jaissle.
He said: “I know there’s been a lot of changes. Two seasons ago they went to the Champions League twice and last season they were 12th.
“Obviously there’s been many changes. Everyone expects us to be back in the Champions League or Europe. I hope we have the chance but that’s not important now, it’s just the next game and we’ll see at the end of the season.”
So happy that Nico joined us he’s going to make so much difference and great for Steur and Bamba to develop following his example.
Fantastic to have four slightly different profile players for the double pivot with Banba and Steur, but Gonzalez oozes class and would be happy at the base of a diamond as well - great to see Finneran getting experience in (amazingly) a well suited loan!