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West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has been talking about Saturday’s huge clash with Newcastle, and he is absolutely full of praise for January signing Miguel Almiron.
Newcastle will look to make it three wins in a row on Saturday evening, as they travel to London to take on the Hammers.
The Magpies have won their last two contests 2-0, against Huddersfield and Burnley, although both of those matches were at home.
They will face a different test in the London Stadium, as the Hammers continue to be one of the most confusing and inconsistent sides in the league, swapping from good to bad performances on a weekly basis.
They beat Fulham 3-1 in their last home contest, but Pellegrini is clearly expecting a much sterner test this time around.
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What’s he said?
“When we went to Newcastle and beat them, they had won some games in a row,” he said at his Friday press conference, as reported by The Mag.
“Now though, they’re more consistent and have won their last two games.
“(They) have signed Almiron too, so we know we need to play a very good game if we want to get points here.
“He (Almiron) is a very good player and will be successful for Newcastle.”
A record-breaking threat
Almiron joined Newcastle in January for a club-record fee of about £20m, and the 25 year-old has impressed the Toon Army already with incredible pace and audacious skill.
Pellegrini is known to have a good eye for South American talent as well, so it is perhaps no surprise to hear the West Ham boss speak so highly of Almiron.
The Chilean’s comments also reveal how much Newcastle have improved, partly due to Almiron’s arrival, as the Magpies’ consistency in both results and performance levels has been superb recently.
Pellegrini knows his side are in for a fight, and judging by his admiration for Almiron, the Hammers may be tempted to set up a little deeper than usual to thwart the Paraguayan international’s pace.
