As Newcastle United fans we have earned the right to be sceptical over transfer links and for many that was no different with Nico Gonzalez.
But, even though I'm still very much dubious until I actually see the bloke donning our sacred badge and standing on the hallowed turf at St James' Park, the recent updates by the big transfer journalists in Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein have done wonders to put any fears to bed.
In fact, the updates today have had so much substance that Nico Gonzalez is now being reported to have his Newcastle medical booked in and be travelling to the North East to complete the contract signing.
What we know about the Gonzalez to Newcastle deal
Gonzalez has said yes to the project under new boss Matthias Jaissle and is set to become one of the key figures in the period that David Hopkinson has labelled 'Newcastle 2.0'.
Newcastle had the money to spend on a statement name replacement following the Bruno Guimaraes sale and have pledged a sum of around £52m including add-ons to Manchester City for the Spaniard's services.
That fee marks merely £5m more than what City originally paid for a player who has brought in to be Rodri's replacement, an excellent bit of business for a player of his quality who fills a much needed hole for the Magpies.
Gonzalez remained an unused substitute in City's 2-1 win over Bournemouth at the weekend which was clearly an indicator that he would be allowed to leave before the end of the window, with those initial toon rumours now proven to be substantiated by the recent confirmation.
City have had somewhat of a fire sale in recent days, with Omar Marmoush, Savinho and Tijani Reijnders all joining Rodri in leaving the club recently, but the Manchester club are bringing in Bouaddi for the midfield and are still eyeing up a move for Enzo Fernandez, whom Enzo Maresca worked with at Chelsea.
Why Gonzalez is perfect for the Magpies
If there is one thing that the 2-2 Premier League opener against Liverpool showed us, it was that a holding midfielder could do wonders for Jaissle and his system.
No shade on either Miley or Steur, because both looked very good, Miley especially, but there was quite a few instances where Liverpool found gaps in behind the midfield structure and created chances as a result.
Had we had a player like Nico Gonzalez to deploy there, who is known for his defensive qualities and providing a strong foundation in turnovers, there would have been much less jeopardy out of possession. Who knows, it may have even prevented the gaps which ultimately led to the penalty.
At 25 years old the Spaniard will be coming to Tyneside with a point to prove after his lack of minutes at City, which is coincidentally exactly the sort of mindset every other member of the squad played with against Liverpool.
Whilst it isn't a wealth of experience, those extra few years of senior football and being involved in big games, like that fateful Euro final back in 2022 where he replaced Rodri at half time and was excellent against England, will bring a little extra edge to the otherwise rather raw cohort.
Overall, there isn't much not to like about the Gonzalez signing, should it happen of course, and, added onto the positives that were taken from the opening day draw, everything does feel as though it may be starting to look in the right direction this season.
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