‘Very special’ midfielder slams ‘lies’ claiming he wanted to join Newcastle

Follow us on Google Discover

Watford starlet Yaser Asprilla has hit out at the ‘lies’ suggesting he could have joined Premier League high-flyers Newcastle United over the summer. 

Young, hungry, supremely technical, highly tenacious and overflowing with delicious potential, Yaser Asprilla is certainly a player who ticks plenty of boxes for a Newcastle United side who’s transfer policy is dictated by the demands of Dan Ashworth and Eddie Howe these days. 

So when Colombian publication Antena2 reported back in August that the Watford wonderkid wanted to move to the Premier League – amid interest from Newcastle and fellow gold-panners Brighton and Hove Albion – you’d have been forgiven for assuming that the rumours were coming from a kernel of truth. 

But, discussing his future with the Watford Observer this week, arguably the most exciting young midfielder in the Championship has wasted no time in setting the record straight. 

Yaser Asprilla hits out at Newcastle and Brighton claims

“The stories were all lies,” Asprilla sighs.

“That is what happens back in Colombia. There were stories saying that (former Watford boss Slaven) Bilic had dropped me out of the first-team squad. And that was a lie. 

“These rumours that I was unhappy, or that I wanted to leave, were also all lies.” 

This, of course, does not mean that reports of Newcastle’s interest were also wide of the mark. Asprilla, a 19-year-old playmaker with a wonderful range of passing, certainly fits the mould of a typical Newcastle signing, a la Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall or Anthony Gordon.

‘He’s going to be special’

“He is a young boy of rare talent,” Bilic said of the two-time international during his breakthrough season at Vicarage Road. “(Asprilla) is going to be special. 

“He has things that you can’t teach. He is a very explosive player. I’m not going to say the sky’s the limit, but then I’ve just said it! It’s up to him and he will get our help.

“The key thing is he is willing to learn, and that is so important.” 

Newcastle are likely to prioritise a new midfielder in January. Ruben Neves and Teun Koopmeiners have been linked after losing Sandro Tonali to suspension.