Newcastle United have extremely high hopes for Antonio Cordero.
He is the only player Newcastle United have signed so far this summer, with Cordero joining on a free transfer from Malaga.
The Magpies are eager for the 18-year-old to blossom into a Premier League player, but he is certainly not at that level right now. Instead, Newcastle are going to loan Cordero out to a club in Europe.
Whichever club he joins, the ambition will be for the Spaniard to continue his development ahead of returning to Tyneside in 2026. When he is back, he will hopefully be closer to being first-team ready for Eddie Howe.
Newcastle United youngster Antonio Cordero celebrates after scoring for Spain Under-19s.
Photo by Harry Murphy – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Who Antonio Cordero has been compared to internally at Newcastle United
Internally, Newcastle believe they have completed a deal for what could be a special player. They at least think he can be a difference-maker in the Premier League, just like Ayoze Perez was at St James’ Park.
According to the Athletic, insiders at Newcastle United are of the belief that Cordero has more potential than Perez did.
Interestingly, Newcastle fans compared Cordero to Perez as soon as his arrival from Malaga was confirmed.
Perez joined Newcastle from Tenerife for £1.5million in 2014, spending five impressive years on Tyneside. He was sold in 2019, joining Leicester City for £30million after they activated his release clause.
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The key difference between Cordero and Ayoze Perez at Newcastle United
Newcastle believing Cordero has more potential than Perez is exciting. The latter did very well for the Magpies during a difficult period for the club, scoring 48 goals in 195 appearances.
However, there is a key difference between Cordero and Perez at Newcastle United. While Newcastle are going to loan Cordero out and allow him to blossom, Perez was required to make an immediate impact.
He was thrust into Alan Pardew’s Premier League squad, forced to learn on the job and be influential in the top flight of English football. It was quite the baptism of fire for Perez, who scored seven Premier League goals in his first season as Newcastle narrowly avoided relegation on the final day.
In contrast, Cordero will get time. There is no immediate need for him to be Newcastle’s saviour as there was with Perez. Cordero can go out on loan and continue his development, before Newcastle decide what is next for the exciting teenager.
However, it will also be tougher for Cordero, as standards at St James’ Park are suddenly much higher. The team Perez played for were only concerned about Premier League survival, whereas Eddie Howe’s side want to be Champions League regulars and trophy challengers.