Townsend coming could mean Ritchie going.
Posted on July 17th, 2018 | One Comment |
Townsend’s track record
Townsend then moved to Newcastle United on the 26th of January 2016 for a reported £12 million. However, his stay was relatively short, as following the club’s relegation into the EFL Championship at the end of the 2015/2016 season, he announced he wanted to leave.
On the 1st of July 2016, having spent only six brief months wearing the black and white, the winger became a Crystal Palace player for the sum of £13-million.
Although Rafael Benitez only had a short chance of working with Townsend, he is fully aware of the player’s qualities. He is of the opinion that the now 26-year-old made a wrong choice when he abandoned The Magpies once their relegation became certain.
Benitez doesn’t hold a grudge
He is of the opinion that Townsend didn’t realise Newcastle would return to the Premiership so quickly. However, he doesn’t hold that against him. Crystal Palace are believed to be prepared to release Townsend to move back to Newcastle for the sum of £17 million, a figure which would represent a club record at St James’.
The fact of the matter is that spending does breed success. As far as Premiership transfers are concerned, £17 million is no big deal, Newcastle, and Mike Ashley in particular, have come under heavy fire for their inactivity so far during the transfer window.
Sale of Ritchie to Stoke will finance the Townsend return
In order to finance the deal, it is speculated that Benitez would have to let Matt Ritchie go. Ritchie is reportedly being sought-after by recently relegated Stoke City. According to the press, Newcastle have just turned down a £15-million offer for Ritchie from The Potters. However, in order to try and attract the 28-year-old Scotsman, Stoke are said to be prepared to offer the player a wage of £75,000 per week plus bonuses.
It is thought that the signing of Townsend will be dependent on the sale of Ritchie, but it may very well happen, and here’s why.
Having just been relegated, Stoke City FC are determined to emulate what Newcastle have just done and bounce back into the Premiership after just one season. They see Ritchie as being the ideal choice as the winger to help them to achieve that aim.
With two Championship promotions under his belt – the first with Bournemouth and the second of course with Newcastle, Matt Ritchie has just the experience Stoke need. His contribution to Newcastle’s promotion included three goals and five assists.
A welcome return
When Benitez was questioned about Townsend jumping ship to join Palace, he was philosophical with his answer. He feels that it was a difficult decision for the winger to make, given that he would have been thinking ahead about his career and possible opportunities with the national team. It was, Benitez thought, not an unreasonable choice to make.
The bottom line is that Benitez would welcome Townsend’s return to St James Park, and so too, would the Toon Army.
Pfew guys, that wasn’t the start we hoped for. I really believed there was something in the match against the Spurs for us. Am I the only one who’s starting to worry about this season?