Nico Gonzalez received a rapturous welcome from Newcastle United supporters before he had even kicked a ball for his new club. The 24-year-old Spanish midfielder was introduced at a sold-out stadium, with supporters repeatedly chanting his name, before Newcastle’s 3-2 Carabao Cup second-round win over West Bromwich Albion. For Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle, Gonzalez’s arrival ends what he called a “long fight”. Jaissle had spoken personally with the player on several occasions and made clear how much he wanted him and how important he could be to his side. “It’s always important if you’re making signings like Nico that there is a commitment there,” Jaissle said, adding that Gonzalez had shown that commitment from their first conversations. The move gives Gonzalez a chance to secure the regular Premier League role that proved difficult to find at Manchester City. City signed him from Porto for £50m, and he made his debut against Newcastle a year and a half ago. Despite being warned about the intensity of Newcastle’s midfield, Gonzalez completed 100 passes and helped stop potential counter-attacks as City won 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Then City manager Pep Guardiola called him “our mini-Rodri” while his injured compatriot Rodri was absent. Once Rodri returned to fitness, however, Gonzalez found extended runs in the starting side hard to come by. Rodri has since moved to Barcelona, while new City manager Enzo Maresca has signed Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille and Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. City also appear set to make a bid for Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez. Former Manchester City assistant manager Kolo Toure believes Gonzalez learned a great deal from competing with Rodri. Toure said Rodri is the best player in the world on the ball, but argued that Gonzalez is very strong at pressing, winning possession and reading the game. He also praised Gonzalez’s mentality, recalling that the player would ask for individual video reviews and remained open to criticism in order to improve. That desire to improve has followed Gonzalez since the beginning of his professional career. After spending a decade in Barcelona’s youth system, he realised he needed to leave the club where he had developed in order to flourish elsewhere. A successful loan spell at Valencia was followed by a permanent move to Porto at the age of 21, which led to his transfer to Manchester City. Former Barcelona B team-mate Roger Riera said that playing in different countries and experiencing different football styles had given Gonzalez “another vision”. Leaving Manchester City, where he felt settled, was not easy, but Newcastle now offers the platform he had been seeking to become an important midfield player. How Gonzalez handles the competition for midfield places at Newcastle will be closely watched by Somali audiences in East Africa and the diaspora. His matches offer Premier League followers a chance to judge whether the player Guardiola called “mini-Rodri” can take charge of his new role.