Fernandez-Pardo's explosive pace and Doku-like profile convinced Newcastle to pursue £51m winger

Newcastle United have identified a rare quality in Matias Fernandez-Pardo that persuaded the club to pursue the 21-year-old Belgium international with such determination. According to his former coach Arnar Vidarsson, who worked with him at Gent before his move to Lille, the defining characteristic is unmistakable.

He is very explosive, very fast. He has this unbelievable power.

Vidarsson draws a striking comparison to another Belgian winger who has flourished in English football.

You could compare him a little bit to Jeremy Doku. They have a similar profile,

he tells Sky Sports. The parallels run deeper than raw pace alone.

It is that power, that speed, that ability to go past people without needing space.

Doku's trademark move—slowing a defender before suddenly accelerating away—is something Fernandez-Pardo has mastered as well.

Matias can go past people in one or two metres because of this explosiveness,

Vidarsson explains. This ability to create separation in tight areas is precisely what modern Premier League clubs covet.

Newcastle's willingness to invest £51m reflects more than just Fernandez-Pardo's athleticism. The winger has evolved into a wide forward capable of contributing goals at a meaningful rate. His trajectory at Gent accelerated dramatically once he was deployed in a more central attacking role.

His full league debut came in March 2024, and by August of that year, he had played his final match for the Belgian club. The catalyst was a stunning run of eight goals in 11 games.

The coach started to use him as a striker. Before that, he had always been on the wing. He made a good decision because Matias started to score a lot. After that spell playing centrally, there was big interest in him,

Vidarsson recalls.

According to Vidarsson, Fernandez-Pardo's optimal position remains central.

In my opinion, his best position is central. That is how he scored most of his goals and how Lille scouted him in his last season with Gent.

This insight matters considerably as Newcastle prepare to integrate him under manager Matthias Jaissle's tactical system.

Vidarsson's relationship with Fernandez-Pardo extends back further than his first-team emergence. The Icelandic coach, now working in coach development for FIFA, held responsibility for talent management at Gent and oversaw the development squad. He remembers a reserved young player, one whose family provided unwavering support.

His relationship with his father was strong. His father was all in, basically his assistant, driving him everywhere and taking good care of him. Matias did not talk too much.

On the pitch, however, he was a different proposition entirely.

When Fernandez-Pardo played for Gent's second team as a winger, his development followed a typical trajectory for young attacking talent.

His decision-making on the wing was not always the best,

Vidarsson notes.

That is something that Doku, for example, also had when he was at Anderlecht.

The comparison extends to the learning curve itself.

Vidarsson is careful to contextualise these observations.

He was going past people and not knowing when to cross, when to cut inside, when to go outside, when to find space in behind. And sometimes he did not have the mentality to run for the team.

Yet he attributes this partly to Fernandez-Pardo's readiness for senior football.

That is typical of a young player who was being asked to go from the first team to play for the second team.

The breakthrough opportunity arrived in early 2024 when Gent sold three attacking players for substantial fees. Malick Fofana and Gift Orban both departed for Lyon, while Hugo Cuypers joined Chicago Fire.

That freed up the space for Matias to play,

Vidarsson explains. The space created proved transformative.

Fernandez-Pardo's performances earned him a summer move to Ligue 1.

I think it was a great move for him to go to Lille,

Vidarsson says. His first season in France saw him adjust to a higher level before playing a crucial role in securing Champions League qualification for the club.

The decision to leave Lille for Newcastle has surprised some observers within football. Playing a season of Champions League football with the French club would seemingly have aided his development further. Yet Fernandez-Pardo has pushed for the move, eager to test himself in the Premier League.

According to reports from the New York Times, Newcastle and Lille agreed a €60 million plus add-ons deal for the winger, with the player expected to arrive at Newcastle and undergo a medical before signing a five-year contract. The negotiations had been complex, with Newcastle's initial bid standing at around €40 million plus add-ons before the price moved closer to Lille's valuation.

Lille's stance hardened as the deadline approached. The French club left Fernandez-Pardo out of the squad for the 2-2 draw against Paris Saint-Germain and ordered him to train away from the first team until his future was resolved. Manager Davide Ancelotti effectively froze him out, signalling the club's determination to complete the transfer.

Vidarsson himself advocates caution about immediate expectations on Tyneside.

I would say they are taking, not a risk, but let's say giving him an opportunity,

he says diplomatically. For Fernandez-Pardo, this represents another significant step up in his career trajectory.

He has the potential but I really do believe that he will need one season to adapt before he can shine and become a top player in the Premier League. Because everything in the Premier League is faster, more intense. Everything there happens at a faster tempo.

The tactical fit at Newcastle could prove crucial to his success. Jaissle's vertical style of play may suit Fernandez-Pardo well, particularly if he is deployed in the channels rather than confined to the wing.

It will probably always be better for Matias to play in a system as one of two strikers,

Vidarsson argues.

Because of his speed, he needs space. On the wing, you can direct him in one direction and then he becomes a little easier to mark.

That assessment may evolve as Fernandez-Pardo matures. His capacity to

grow into a bigger club, into a bigger environment

at Newcastle could unlock new dimensions to his game.

The World Cup represented a missed opportunity for Fernandez-Pardo, who was restricted to just three appearances off the bench for Belgium. Frustrated by limited international opportunities, he has pursued the club move he craved and the chance to establish himself in the Premier League.

What happens next

Fernandez-Pardo was expected to travel to Newcastle on Monday evening to complete the move before the Tuesday deadline. The transfer window in England and France was due to close on Tuesday night, making a swift resolution essential. Sky Sports reported that Newcastle were closing in on the deal as the deadline approached.

Much remains to be learned and much to be proven. Yet Newcastle supporters have genuine reason for optimism. Not because Fernandez-Pardo is a finished product—he is not—but because he possesses the raw attributes that separate elite attackers from the rest.

What he has, of course, is that special thing that a lot of clubs are looking for in modern football, that speed, that ability to go past people and do something in small spaces. He has those attributes and they are really difficult to create. You are just born with it.