Tim Vickery reacts to Newcastle’s ‘strange’ links with playmaker, makes Solano claim

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Tim Vickery has suggested on Sky Sports Transfer Talk (30/09/20 at 1:25 pm) that Newcastle’s links with Deportivo Municipal playmaker Rodrigo Vilca as a ‘strange one’.

The South American football expert claimed that the Peruvian has ‘little pedigree’ back in his homeland and his skill set don’t even match what St James’ Park favourite Nolberto Solano once had back in his day.

RPP Noticias have claimed that Deportivo Municipal have accepted an offer of £250,000 for the 21-year-old’s services, but the report does state that he will be loaned straight back out.

When asked to provide an insight into Vilca and those Newcastle rumours, Vickery warned the Premier League side that they shouldn’t expect too much.

“Well, he doesn’t have anything like the pedigree of Solano,” Vickery told Sky Sports. “It’s a strange one, this one.

“He’s not in Peru’s squad for World Cup qualification next week. He wasn’t in their under-23 squad at the start of the year. He wasn’t in Solano’s under-22 squad during the Pan-American games last year.

“He has trained with the Peruvian national side when they had a few training sessions with a few domestically-based players. He really has very little pedigree with a mid-table side in the Peruvian league, which at the moment, the standard is very weak indeed.

“There’s some talent there. But he looks very much of a lightweight. So, this is one out of left-field. And the reported fee is something like £250k, it’s the kind of fee which would have got you Alan Ball 50 years ago and that fee shows if Newcastle get anything out of this then it will be a bonus.”

Newcastle have already done their heavy lifting during this transfer window and it’s now seemingly a case of warming down and ensure that they are satisfied with their work.

Callum Wilson was their heavyweight buy because he was a number nine that was much-needed at the club, even though the actual number belongs to a certain bang out-of-form Joelinton.

As for Vilca, there are clearly high hopes about him in the North East, and whilst there will be obvious comparisons with the free-kick wonder and magic creator, Solano. He will have to do seriously well to match the performances he produced during his days in England’s top-flight.