Newly promoted side Newcastle have added to their defence with the right back Javier Manquillo from Spanish giants Athletico Madrid for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £4 million.
The Spaniard has had previous Premier League experience with Liverpool and most recently with Tyne-wear rivals Sunderland. However, whilst at Sunderland the 23 year old registered just 20 appearances, a quarter of which coming from the bench. In that time he claimed 1 goal which came at Stamford Bridge in the last game of the season. As well as club football, Javier Manquillo has notched up 25 caps for Spain at youth level.
Speaking about his move, Manquillo stated that:
“I’m very happy to be here. From the first moment that Rafa Benítez called me, I just knew that I had to come here, to such a big club. I’ve come here to work hard and give everything on and off the pitch. Hopefully then everything will go in the right direction.”
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez added:
“Like Jacob Murphy, Manquillo is another young player. He can play both sides of the defence and he has a lot of motivation because he knows he has a point to prove.
Fantasy Premier League Potential
From what Benitez has commented regarding Manquillo I believe he will be utilised as a left back. This is because American DeAndre Yedlin was a key component to Newcastle’s promotion and dropping him from the team would be questionable to say the least. Their left back options include Paul Dummett and Haidara who aren’t Premier League quality and the signing of Manquillo will certainly bring a quality that Dummett and Haidara don’t currently possess.
Manquillo will likely be blessed with a significant amount of game time at Newcastle whether it would be left back or right back. In FPL he comes in at a reasonable price of 4.5m which surprisingly isn’t tempting too many FPL managers. He is owned by just 0.3% of FPL managers as opposed to Newcastle compatriot Yedlin who is owned by 4.8% currently.
Could he be the hidden gem your team is looking for?
Newcastle’s opening fixtures are as follows: Tottenham (H), Huddersfield (A), West Ham (H), Swansea (A) and Stoke (H). These first five fixtures could potentially be tempting for FPL managers.
If you have enjoyed this early view of the fantasy potential of those moving teams this transfer window, be sure to check the others here.
Written by Harry Clark (@HarryClark67)
