Eleventh-hour moves are nothing new for Federico Fernandez. It was on deadline day, after all, that the defender joined Newcastle United in the first place after a helicopter was sent to Swansea to pick up some precious cargo in 2018.
However, there really was not a minute to spare when the Argentine finalised his latest last-minute switch to Elche less than five weeks ago. Newcastle players and staff were on a scheduled day off, following the defeat at Liverpool, and Fernandez spent most of that Thursday on the phone to his agent and the club before driving to St James' Park to rip up his contract and sign for Elche as a free agent.
Fernandez did not have time to say a proper goodbye - the centre-back plans to return to the training ground in the coming months to do just that - but Eddie Howe phoned the 33-year-old before he flew out to Spain to start his new chapter.
