Miguel Almiron returns to Atlanta United

Almiron will join Alexey Miranchuk as two of Atlanta United’s three Designated Players. The club’s pursuit of a third, striker Emmanuel Latte Lath, may be completed in the next few days for an MLS-record fee of $22 million.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Miguel back to Atlanta United and know we’re getting a top player and someone with excellent character,” Sporting Director Chris Henderson said in a statement provided by the team. “He’s a dynamic attacking player with proven success in our league as well as at the highest level in Europe in the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League with Newcastle.”

Atlanta United purchased Almiron from Lanus in Argentina for less than $8 million before its inaugural 2017 season.

Tall, thin and a with a running style that former teammate Josef Martinez described as ostrich-like, Almiron became one of the more impactful players in MLS. Those who hadn’t yet seen him play would inevitably let out gasps watching him receive the ball surrounded by defenders and, using only his left foot, quickly escape the predicament with a series of touches before sprinting down the field, arms stretched out and trailing slightly behind him, to lead an attack.

Though Almiron played only two seasons in Atlanta, he remains tied as the team’s third-leading scorer (21), third in shots (216) and fourth in assists (28) in regular season matches. He was a two-time finalist for MVP and two-time MLS Best XI selection. That production resulted in Atlanta United selling him before the 2019 season to Newcastle for a fee that rose to as much as $27 million, then an MLS record.

As at Atlanta, Almiron became a fan favorite on Tyneside in Northeast England with Newcastle. He received postgame ovations after two games last week from its supporters. He finished with 30 goals and 22 assists in 223 appearances.

Though Almiron left, he wasn’t forgotten. He received numerous standing cheers when he returned with Newcastle to play Chelsea at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during the summer of 2023. His tying goal sent the 70,789 people at the stadium into a frenzy.

Atlanta United paid Charlotte $400,000 in general allocation money for Almiron’s rights. That total includes $325,000 in 2025 and $75,000 in 2026.

Now back, it will be interesting to see if he can develop the chemistry with this set of Atlanta United players that he had with Martinez, Hector Villalba and Julian Gressel in ‘17 and ‘18 when the team scored 140 goals. The closest it has come to reaching the 70 goals scored in each of those seasons was 66 in 2023.

Almiron’s new teammates in attack will include Miranchuk, Saba Lobjanidze on the other wing, and whomever starts at striker. Almiron typically plays on the right wing, where Lobjanidze led the team in goals (9) and assists (7) last season.