Newcastle United fended off interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona to sign Antonio Cordero.
Cordero is joining Newcastle United on a free transfer, with the Magpies striking a deal to land the exciting teenager when his Malaga contract expires on 30th June.
After the deal was formally announced, Cordero admitted he wants to aspire high and that is why he chose to accept Eddie Howe’s offer. That is despite the fact he was attracting attention from La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
New Newcastle United signing Antonio Cordero smiles during a conversation with head of recruitment Steve Nickson.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
How Newcastle United beat Real Madrid and Barcelona to Antonio Cordero
While Real Madrid and Barcelona were interested in Cordero, a move to Newcastle United was seen as the best step for his career. That sounds quite startling from a Toon perspective, but the reality makes a lot more sense.
According to the Athletic, Real Madrid and Barcelona saw Cordero as an option to play for their B teams. Los Blancos’ B team compete in the third tier of Spanish football, while Barcelona’s are in the fourth tier.
In that sense, a move to Newcastle United was seen as a bigger step up, as he has already been playing in the Spanish second division with Malaga. The Athletic add that Newcastle’s offer was better financially, while it also offered Cordero a more ‘realistic’ pathway to first-team football at the top level.
While the Spanish giants actually planned to use Cordero at a lower level than he was already at, Newcastle have the chance to immediately propel him up the footballing ladder.
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Newcastle are going to loan Cordero out, with Toon officials keen for the 18-year-old to further his development away from Tyneside. Given his current ability and senior experience with Malaga, it has been determined that he will benefit more from going out on loan as opposed to playing for the Magpies’ Under-21s.
That is a smart decision, but only if he is sent to the right club. Ajax are interested in Cordero, and a move to the Netherlands could be a tantalising option. The Eredivisie is a great place for young talent, while joining Ajax would potentially give Cordero the opportunity to play in the Champions League.
If Cordero is given the chance to represent Ajax for a year as part of his Newcastle United development, it would immediately justify his decision to pick the Magpies ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona.