Why Matias Fernandez-Pardo is a hugely exciting signing for Newcastle

Matias Fernandez-Pardo has joined Newcastle United on deadline day, in what looks to be the eighth and final senior signing made by the club.

He joins from Lille for a fee in the region of £51 million and Ross Wilson confirmed that the attacker was one of the club’s main targets at the beginning of the summer.

After focusing on lowering the age of the squad, the club managed to raise the ceiling of the team in the last month. Amar Dedic, Nico Gonzalez and Fernandez-Pardo all bring huge quality to the starting eleven, while still possessing huge potential. The club now look much better suited to attack the season.

Career to date

As a youngster, Fernandez-Pardo played for a number of teams, moving between the academies of Anderlecht, Mechelen and Lille, before settling with Gent. He made his senior debut for the Belgian club in 2022 and quickly emerged as a regular for them in his teenage years.

The forward helped Gent qualify for Europe in 2024, which helped him earn a return to Lille in a deal worth €12 million. Fernandez-Pardo showed his versatility during his time in France and quickly emerged as one of the most talented young attackers on the continent. Last season, he contributed eight goals and five assists.

Fernandez-Pardo has been highly regarded by his national set-up, as he has played for Belgium across their age group teams. He made his full debut for Belgium in 2026. The 21-year-old was also eligible for Spain and Italy. At one point, he did make a request to Fifa to change to Spain and he was called up to one of their age group squads. However, he reversed this decision and didn’t play a single game for any Spanish national side.

Style of play

One of the attractive traits that Fernandez-Pardo has is his versatility. He can play as a striker, number ten or on either flank. The player himself has said he prefers playing as a striker, but I would assume the plan will be that he dovetails with Yoane Wissa in the central positions.

Physically, Fernandez-Pardo looks perfectly built to thrive in the Premier League, especially in a team looking to attack with pace. He is a quick and stands at 6’2”, which means he will be a great fit for the style of play Matthias Jaissle is trying to implement.

He is an explosive ball-carrier with an impressive burst of acceleration. Fernandez-Pardo thrives when he is allowed to attack opposition defenders in transition. His off-the-ball movement is very good for a player of his age. The Belgian often looks to attack the space behind the defence and his pace makes this a fruitful avenue for him.

In the final third, he is still developing and his decision making is an area that he can improve. If we give him a position to settle into, rather than leaning into his versality, that will help.

Fernandez-Pardo carries a dual threat in the final third, as he can score and create for others. His time spent as a left winger means that there is a natural lean to the left in his movement. This could help create space for Harvey Barnes to move centrally, which could help get more output from him.

The stats

Last season, Fernandez Pardo scored eight and assisted five times, which is a good return without being spectacular. He is only 21 and the club will be hoping that with a settled position, his output will increase.

He averages 2.57 shots and 1.36 chances created per ninety minutes. This highlights how he can be the one creating or getting on the end of chances. Newcastle desperately needed someone of this profile in the squad. He is certainly a better technician than either Yoane Wissa or William Osula.

Although he average of 19.22 successful passes per ninety minutes seems low, his accuracy of 81.8% stands out. Fernandez-Pardo has been operating in the final third, but he takes care of the ball and regularly helps his team retain it, despite the risk that comes in those areas.

An average of 1.36 successful dribbles per ninety minutes at a success rate of 42.9% shows the high risk part of his game. Fernandez Pardo loves running at opposition defenders and he is good at it. With more experience, he needs to learn the right time to attempt a dribble and the right time to pass. This is an area he will improve on, but Jaissle won’t want to restrict the instinctive part to his game.

Fernandez-Pardo is excellent at getting into dangerous positions and carrying a threat with his movement. He averaged 6.96 touches in the opposition penalty area, which ranked in the 93rdpercentile.

The weaknesses of his game right now are his aerial ability, as shown by a success rate of 12.1%. This will need to improve in England, especially if he wants to play as a centre forward. He does have the height and physicality to improve this.

There will be a steep learning curve with the off-the-ball demands of Jaissle’s system. Fernandez-Pardo will need to learn the triggers and become better with his pressing, but this type of development is expected for a player of his age, especially one that hasn’t had a settled position.

Verdict

It felt like the club desperately needed to sign a player that could provide an x-factor in the attack. A player that could score goals and create chances for others would immediately level up the attack. In Fernandez-Pardo, they have acquired their top target and it has to be seen as a huge coup for the club.

The reporting around the deal suggests that there were concerns on his side at the start of the summer, but he has now bought into the project under Jaissle and that should fill the supporters with optimism. The club is now an attractive destination again, which hasn’t been the case for the last 12 months.

Fernandez-Pardo is a hugely exciting signing, as he could quickly develop into a Champions League level attacker. That will be his own ambition and the club will hope to get him there.

His versatility is a huge help to the squad, but the club will want to get him to prioritise one position. It is likely that he will step into the centre forward role, with Wissa playing behind him. However, there will be flexibility in their roles and all attackers will be given license to roam. This will suit Fernandez-Pardo.

This feels like another hugely transformational signing for Jaissle.

Stats taken from fotmob