Miguel Almiron is officially having his best goalscoring season as a Newcastle United player - with stats proving he's also outperforming Jack Grealish in every metric.
The Paraguay international scored his fifth of the campaign in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Everton, a lovely curling effort.
Almiron joined the Magpies from Atalanta United for a club-record £21 million in 2019. Despite always putting in maximum effort, it looked like Almiron didn't have the quality to back it up.
In May, Manchester City midfielder Grealish even made a joke at Almiron's expense during the club's Premier League title parade.
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When asked about City's victory over Aston Villa on the final day, Grealish said: "There were two secrets… one, Riyad [Mahrez], take him off the pitch, as soon as possible. He played like [Miguel] Almiron. Number two, [pointing at Silva] he’s been so good this season, get him off the pitch."
It was likely an innocent joke from the 27-year-old. Almiron took it personally.
The Athletic have broken down the numbers behind both players' performances in front of goal this season, revealing there is a clear frontrunner right now.
Almiron is a regular starter under Eddie Howe, playing 917 minutes in the Premier League with five goals to his name.
Grealish's game time is limited in a stacked City attack, with 319 minutes and one goal so far.
Almiron is gambling more in general play as well. The 28-year-old is average 2.5 shots per game, while the more conservative Grealish is hitting 1.4 shots per game.
As a result, Almiron's goals per 90 currently sits at 0.49, higher than Grealish's 0.28.
Howe was asked if Grealish's criticism has motivated Almiron this term but he refused to be dragged into the debate.
He declared: "I don’t think Miggy is motivated by anything other than trying to be his best for Newcastle and for the supporters, who absolutely love him and rightly so.
“For me, he’s given me everything from day one, very committed to the team.
"He’s a real team player and he’s getting the recognition that he deserves. You can’t under-estimate the quality of the goals that he’s delivered for us.
"I don’t think I’ve noticed a difference in his character. He’s been very consistent – that’s a strength – he’s been very happy every day, very pleased to be part of the team, has very close friends within the squad.
"What I have noticed is a real confidence in his training, in his technical delivery of what we’re asking him to do – I think that’s definitely gone up a level."
Topics: Manchester City, Newcastle United, Jack Grealish, Premier League
Daniel Marland