Newcastle and Inter Milan have come to an agreement which will see the loan of Valentino Lazaro extended.
The Austrian wide-man was due to head back to Milan on June 30th but with the season having been delayed, Inter have sanctioned an extension which will see him remain on Tyneside until August 1.
Lazaro’s versatility helps Newcastle due to a lack of options down the right side. He can play at both the right-back position as well as further forward in the more attacking role.
His performances on the field have impressed certain sections of the fanbase – even if the stats don’t exactly back it up.
In his five appearances for the club in all competitions, he has one goal (winner against West Brom in FA Cup), no assists and a red card. I must admit, I had totally forgotten about that red card.
He does rank highly for key passes per game and crosses per game though, two things that are vital to a team who lack much creativity in attack.
He plays an average of 0.8 key passes per game, ranking joint fifth in the squad. As for crosses, he puts the ball in the box 0.8 per game – the fourth most in the squad.
In Newcastle’s fight to avoid relegation, which we’re edging ever closer to winning, Lazaro could still have a big part to play.
Personally, he’s the one of the three January loan signings I’ve been most impressed with and it’d be nice to see him stay even beyond August 1. Permanent signing would be lovely…
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