Newcastle icon Jonas Gutierrez has insisted they can become the new Manchester City or Paris Saint Germain and have an advantage over those sides, in that they were already a big club.
The former midfielder has been speaking to AS regarding his career and various other subjects, which naturally includes Newcastle.
Newcastle were by far the biggest and most significant club of his career, with the Argentine making 205 appearances for the club, with 12 goals and 27 assists in that time.
He arrived in a €5.8m deal from RCD Mallorca in July 2008 and would last six years at St James Park, suffering relegation and enjoying promotion back to the Premier League as part of their turbulent years under Mike Ashley’s ownership.
He remains a firm fan favourite at the club, with the club’s fans standing by him through his battle against testicular cancer and his subsequent return.
Indeed, the Argentine maintained a strong relationship with the fanbase because of that, and a subsequent falling out with the leadership at the time that led to his eventual departure not affecting that.
He’s now hoping for the best for his former club and believes they can go on to great things under their new Saudi Arabian ownership.
“It’s a very big club. Today we got what people were looking for, the change of management. The Newcastle fan wanted that change,” he said.
“But success is not about money, it’s about choosing the right people for each position. That the results have come in such a short time is very good.
“The difference between Newcastle and City is that Newcastle was always very big. It’s similar to what happened with Atlético.
“A big club that couldn’t achieve goals, and with Simeone they found a long-term project to grow. Newcastle is the same. They spent years in the second division, but they are one of the biggest in England. They have the advantage to make a good project.”
