Nico Gonzalez arrived at Newcastle United craving a starring role — and the St James' Park faithful wasted no time in making him feel at home. The 24-year-old midfielder received a thunderous reception from supporters before he had even touched the ball, with chants ringing around the sold-out stadium ahead of Newcastle's 3-2 Carabao Cup second-round victory over West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday.

The £52m signing from Manchester City was the transfer head coach Matthias Jaissle had fought hard to secure. The German described the pursuit as a "long fight" while also insisting he was "always a believer in the positive things" — a telling combination of words that underlines just how determined he was to land Gonzalez.

Jaissle held multiple personal conversations with Gonzalez before the deal was done, leaving the player in no doubt about how central he would be to Newcastle's plans.

"It's always important if you're making signings like Nico that there is a commitment there. But he showed that from the beginning, from our first conversations," Jaissle said.

Learning from Rodri

Gonzalez's journey to Tyneside traces back to a Premier League debut that raised eyebrows across the division. Making his Manchester City bow against Newcastle — of all opponents — roughly 18 months ago, Gonzalez completed a remarkable 100 passes and helped City dismantle their hosts 4-0 at Etihad Stadium, even after being cautioned about the ferocity of Newcastle's pressing midfield.

That performance underscored the defensive and technical qualities that had persuaded Manchester City to sign him from Porto for £50m. Manager Pep Guardiola summed him up memorably, calling Gonzalez "our mini-Rodri" during the prolonged absence of the injured Ballon d'Or winner.

Yet once Rodri returned to fitness, consistent starts proved elusive for Gonzalez. Former Manchester City assistant manager Kolo Toure, however, believes the experience of training alongside one of football's finest midfielders was invaluable.

"When you are in competition against players like Rodri, you learn a lot because you come up against them in training and you have to show the manager you are better than them. He has this capacity to steal the ball from opponents, which is top. He's better than Rodri at this in my opinion, but Rodri on the ball is the best in the world," Toure said.

A mentality built for growth

Gonzalez always understood that only a select few players could displace Rodri in Guardiola's system. Following Rodri's departure to Barcelona, new Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has moved to reshape the midfield, signing Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille and Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, with a reported bid for Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez also in the works.

Leaving Manchester City was not straightforward for Gonzalez, who felt settled there — but Newcastle offer him something he has long sought: a central, uncontested role. Toure is convinced the Spaniard will continue to grow, pointing to an attitude that made coaching sessions a genuine pleasure.

"His mentality is top. Every time I had my laptop and sat next to him, he was so open to learning. He's going to keep on improving because of his mentality," Toure said.

That hunger for improvement has been a constant thread throughout Gonzalez's career. After a decade in Barcelona's academy and first-team setup, he left to truly flourish — first on loan at Valencia, then permanently at Porto at 21, before earning his move to Manchester City.

Former Barcelona B team-mate Roger Riera has watched that evolution with admiration. "Nico has seen different countries and different styles of football. He's added a lot of things to his game, which have made him a more complete player. He is a better package now," Riera said.

At St James' Park, the stage is finally his.