Why Nico Gonzalez could be the perfect cog for Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle midfield

When Pep Guardiola is willing to christen someone as “a mini Rodri”, then you know a midfielder is high-class.

Nico Gonzalez may never have quite justified that lofty tag at Manchester City, and may even be surplus to requirements at the Etihad now, but he could still prove to be a mood-shifting addition for Newcastle United, should they conclude a deal.

Following a summer of upheaval and of primarily signing youngsters with potential, Nico represents an entirely different profile — the Spaniard is an established top-level operator, even if he is only 24 and was only a bit-part player in Manchester last season.

One proven signing alone would not transform the narrative around a club which has lost so many of its touchstones this summer, leading the more sceptical supporters to question Newcastle’s present direction and their long-term ambitions, albeit Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool offered an encouraging start to the new era. Yet should Nico — who theoretically would improve many sides across Europe — be willing to move to St James’ Park permanently as he enters what should be his prime years, that would suggest he has been sold an encouraging vision for the future by Newcastle.

This also demonstrates a further show of faith in Matthias Jaissle by the hierarchy, who they are fully backing to deliver upon the “Newcastle United 2.0” vision of David Hopkinson, the CEO. Newcastle agreed to pay around €10million (£8.6m, $11.6m) to extract Jaissle from his Al Ahli contract, have spent up to £30m to sign Amar Dedic, a right-back the head coach knew well, and they are now acting upon his pleas for a more seasoned operator in midfield by committing what will be their most expensive fee of the window (around £47m, plus £4m in add-ons) on Nico.

Having assessed the squad he inherited upon arriving at Newcastle’s training camp in La Manga, Spain, earlier this month, Jaissle identified a controlling midfielder as a priority. For Newcastle to be able to successfully execute his philosophy this season, Jaissle deemed such an addition essential, and clearly communicated that to the hierarchy.

There had been a determination to conclude a midfield signing before Newcastle’s Premier League opener against Liverpool but the deal dragged on beyond the weekend and now the hope is that Nico can be in the squad for Saturday’s trip to Tottenham.

Marseille’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha, who are both 31, were targeted due to their significant experience and leadership credentials. Newcastle could not advance with either deal and, although injecting a veteran into a youthful squad would have been beneficial, both would also have been short-to-medium-term solutions.

Neither do they have the same high ceiling as Nico, who has yet to realise the potential which Guardiola spotted in him. Enzo Maresca, the new Manchester City manager, is looking to entirely reshape his midfield and, even having lost Rodri to Barcelona, the Italian has deemed Nico dispensable as he seeks reinforcements. And that has worked to Newcastle’s benefit in their pursuit of an engine-room general.

While in one sense Nico is a replacement for Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle’s captain who joined Arsenal earlier this month for £75m, he is not a like-for-like successor. Guimaraes was Newcastle’s talisman and creative force and he was all-action, whereas Nico should be more of a calming influence, someone who will use possession well and should ensure his side keep the ball better.

Throughout Eddie Howe’s tenure, for all of Newcastle’s success, they rarely protected possession well enough and games, especially away from home, risked becoming too open and chaotic.

Post-takeover, Newcastle have never really had a player of Nico’s profile in deep-lying midfield and the hope has to be that he can help them exert greater ‘control’. As positive as the opening-weekend performance against Liverpool was, Newcastle lacked any sort of authority in midfield, where there were gaping holes at time.

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The “mini Rodri” moniker actually emerged following Nico’s Premier League debut for Manchester City in February 2025 — a match in which he was a commanding presence in midfield.

Their opponents that day? Newcastle, who had turned up at the Etihad with genuine expectation that they could capitalise upon Manchester City’s vulnerabilities and end their woeful winless league record at that venue. Instead, Gonzalez was influential in stealing possession from Newcastle and moving the home side up the field quickly, with Manchester City triumphing 4-0.

There were few further performances of such an all-round high standard in sky blue, with Rodri reasserting himself as first choice once he returned from injury, but what Nico did repeatedly demonstrate were his ball-winning and duel-winning abilities.

Although it is difficult to build a clear picture of his time at the Etihad due to his lack of consistent starts, last season Nico profiled as a tempo-controlling midfielder. As the pizza chart below shows, he ranked extremely highly across Europe’s big-five leagues for link-up play (94 out of 99) and ball retention (87 out of 99), while he helped take Manchester City upfield with his carry progression (70 out of 99).

Nico’s defensive metrics were also encouraging, with his aerial volume (89 out of 99), loose-ball recoveries (82 out of 99) and tackle success (81 out of 99) all strong.

The expectation at St James’ is that Nico is capable of being more ambitious and forward-thinking in possession. Last season, his pass progression (19 out of 99) and creative threat (18 out of 99) were disappointing, though that is partly influenced by his role as a metronomic passer whose primary function was to recycle possession, rather than to break lines.

How much that low-risk approach was shaped by Guardiola’s instructions is difficult to determine, though Nico’s previous box-to-box qualities — which he displayed at Porto, scoring seven goals in 42 league appearances — were rarely utilised or largely disappeared at the Etihad. Jaissle’s approach means that there will likely be greater onus on the midfielders to be bolder on the ball and have greater freedom to play forwards.

What is evident, however, is that Nico is physically strong and he has impressive engine capacity. Like Guimaraes, the Spaniard is not the fastest, nor does he make many lung-busting runs, but according to data company SkillCorner, Nico ranked in the 90th percentile for distance covered per 90 last season.

Debate continues to rage over the price Newcastle accepted for Guimaraes, though insiders insist the level of fee they received for a 28-year-old — albeit one who effectively had three years left on his contract and who they did not want or plan to sell — has granted the club the financial headroom to bring in what they deem to be a high-class operator.

Nico is not Guimaraes, whether stylistically or when it comes to his on-field demeanour, but he undoubtedly strengthens this Newcastle squad.

He is also different to the other midfielders Jaissle can call upon.

Nico can complement the more physical players like Joelinton — who will be out for at least a fortnight with a muscular problem and, despite being named vice-captain, does not necessarily naturally fit anywhere into a 4-2-3-1 formation — or all-rounders like Lewis Miley. The Spaniard will benefit from, and perhaps even requires, an athletic presence alongside him in the double pivot.

Sean Steur, 18, and the 20-year-old Aladji Bamba, both acquired this summer, are huge prospects, but both will likely take time to adapt to the Premier League, even if the former started against Liverpool.

The expectation on Nico is quite different. He is being brought in to deliver immediately — and to hopefully justify the “mini Rodri” nickname on Tyneside.