Newcastle told they’ve signed the ‘next Doku’ with ‘explosive’ £51.4m star branded ‘unbelievable’

Newcastle United supporters have been told they have arguably pulled off the coups of the summer in Matias Fernandez-Pardo, with the Belgian compared to countryman Jeremy Doku and with Matthias Jaissle told where to get the very best out of his “explosive” €60m signing.

The Magpies have cast aside early fears they were facing a season of struggle by hitting the ground running under new boss Jaissle, with the German having been chosen as the somewhat surprising successor to Eddie Howe.

While taking four points from their first two games – a tally that, but for a last-gasp penalty concession at home to Liverpool, should have ensured they were sitting pretty alongside Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the embryonic table.

As it is, Newcastle have good reason to feel satisfied at what they have seen so far, with Jaissle and Co managing to turn what appeared quite the negative summer, following a string of high-profile exits, into one fuelled with optimism and belief.

One deal they left late to negotiate was that for Fernandez-Pardo, with sources confirming on Monday that a big-money agreement between Newcastle and Lille had been struck for the Belgian.

That signing has since been branded by the player’s former coach, who reckons the Magpies have pulled off one of the best deals of the summer.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Arnar Vidarsson can’t wait to see what the 21-year-old delivers at St James’ Park.

“He is very explosive, very fast,” Vidarsson crowed. “He has this unbelievable power.

“You could compare him a little bit to Jeremy Doku. They have a similar profile.

“It is that power, that speed, that ability to go past people without needing space.  That Doku trademark of slowing the defender down and then suddenly speeding up? He has it too.

“Matias can go past people in one or two metres because of this explosiveness.”

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Newcastle told Fernandez-Pardo’s best position

Fernandez-Pardo initially cut his cloth as a winger, but operated more as a central striker for Lille last season, contributing 13 G/A (eight scored, five assists) from 29 appearances in Ligue 1.

As a result, Vidarsson is convinced Newcastle will see the very best of the five-cap Belgium international if they too use him as a central striker.

“In my opinion, his best position is central,” says Vidarsson. “That is how he scored most of his goals and how Lille scouted him in his last season with Gent.”

After scoring eight times in 11 games, Fernandez-Pardo now sees himself too as a striker.

“The coach started to use him as a striker. Before that, he had always been on the wing. He made a good decision because Matias started to score a lot. After that spell playing centrally, there was big interest in him.”

Revealing why he is significantly better centrally than on the wing, the Icelandic coach added: “His decision-making on the wing was not always the best.

“That is something that Doku, for example, also had when he was at Anderlecht.”

He caveats that by saying: “Players develop. But he was going past people and not knowing when to cross, when to cut inside, when to go outside, when to find space in behind. And sometimes he did not have the mentality to run for the team.”

In conclusion, Vidarsson said of his move to Newcastle: “I would say they are taking, not a risk, but let’s say giving him an opportunity.

“He has the potential, but I really do believe that he will need one season to adapt before he can shine and become a top player in the Premier League. Because everything in the Premier League is faster, more intense. Everything there happens at a faster tempo.

“It will probably always be better for Matias to play in a system as one of two strikers.”