Newcastle United have officially announced the signing for Matias Fernandez-Pardo in a deal worth around £51m from Lille.
The 21-year-old Belgian had been courted by the Magpies over the last week, with a deal finally pushed through as deadline day entered its final 8 hours.
Fernandez-Pardo has officially taken the number 20 shirt, with Matthias Jaissle describing him as a 'highly technical player with explosiveness in his game' - almost like that is exactly what the man prioritises in his system...
Perhaps the most interesting question surrounding the arrival of Fernandez-Pardo is where he is actually going to play in black and white.
Fernandez-Pardo and his versatility
Pardo (which i'll call him to save the extra typing) can play anywhere across the frontline, with his most prominent positions being off the left wing or through the middle as a central striker.
The Belgian can also dabble in the number 10 too, which has been a point of conversation when suggesting where he may play, given Newcastle have needed someone in that position for some time now.
Going based off last season, or the last couple for that matter, Pardo has spent most of his time in that striker role, scoring eight goals and contributing five assists in 27 starts across last season.
Where will he play for Newcastle
The aforementioned versatility adds to an already versatile cohort of forward assets for Matthias Jaissle, begging the question where each piece could fit into a starting puzzle.
Big outlets like Sky Sports have suggested that Pardo will come in to play off the left wing, but with Harvey Barnes and £43m signing Bazoumana Toure already marking two excellent options on that side, I'm not so sure.
It would make the most sense for Pardo to either be used in the 10, even though that isn't his main position, or as a centre forward as he has done previously.
In fact, I think it may almost be a bit of a hybrid between those two alongside Yoane Wissa.
Wissa has shown some exceptional quality already this season in both the number 10 against Liverpool, where he put in a man of the match performance and in the number 9 against Spurs, where he grabbed his first Premier League goal of the season.
With Nick Woltemade now having gone to Juventus on loan and Joe Willock the only other number 10 option, it would appear most plausible that Pardo is a starter in one of those two areas.
Jaissle loves pace, power and intensity, Pardo has all of those attributes whilst also adding a little bit of technical pizazz that the Magpies have been missing for some time now - that in itself would suggest he is perfect for the number 10 role (if I had to choose.
But either way, playing him there, but as an option up front or on either wing, will give Newcastle United Wissa, Osula, Toure, Barnes, and even possibly in some circumstances Elanga who can play in more than one of those starting front four positions.
That puts Matthias Jaissle in a superb predicament as the season progresses as each has slightly different things that they can offer depending where they are playing, meaning Newcastle can seamlessly cycle through different combinations depending on the specific fixture they are preparing for.
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