The industrious Rondon looks set to leave St James’ Park
Posted on May 13th, 2019 | No Comments |
If one was to do a very hurried connecting of the dots then it’s possible to imagine a scenario where Rafa Benitez is hanging on to see if he will be given any substantial funds to spend over the summer, and if so, Rondon may not be needed anymore as the Spaniard looks for quality long-term signings rather than problem solvers.
I feel really honoured to have been named @NUFC's Player of the Year. A real privilege! ??
I owe the award to my teammates and you Magpies who've battled all the way with us. Thank you for the amazing support at St. James' Park!!
Howay the Lads!! ⚫⚪ #NUFC pic.twitter.com/JxWdE7j7lx
— Salomón Rondón (@salorondon23) May 9, 2019
The only problem with that theory is that Rafa Benitez’s future has yet to be decided either. For all we know, the 59-year-old may not be the one to take charge of the Toon next season which would confirm another theory as to why Rondon hasn’t been signed.
As things stand, Rondon would cost anywhere between £16m and £20m, which for Newcastle is an almighty amount of money. There are only a few players in world football that a board can sign safely in the knowledge that any incoming manager will be delighted to have them in their squad. Actually, there are probably only two, Messi and Ronaldo.
Now as effective as Rondon has been this season, scoring ten Premier League goals and assisting seven is no mean feat, it has to be said that the Venezuelan has to be deployed in a very specific role, namely as a center-forward that holds the ball up and these days, that type of player is not every manager’s cup of tea. The 29-year-old isn’t the most agile and hasn’t been blessed with any real pace but his strength and finishing, as seen in the 3-2 loss to Liverpool, keeps opposing defenders honest.
Salomón Rondón has now been directly involved in 17 Premier League goals this season, at least four more than any other #NUFC player.
⚽ 10 goals
? 7 assistsA man on a mission tonight. pic.twitter.com/Pad9Zyt6sZ
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 4, 2019
You just get the feeling that £20m is too much for a striker who returns only 10 goals a season and will be turning 30 a month after the 2019/2020 season begins. It is rumored that Newcastle will offer Benitez a £50m transfer budget this summer which will be a welcome change to the usual pittance the Spaniard is given but £50m is the going rate of a world-class striker, never mind the six new players Benitez wants.
It’s clear to see that you get what you pay for when you have a look at the £50m and above strikers that have arrived in the Premier League. Take Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for example, Arsenal signed him for around £56m from Dortmund, the Gabonese forward has gone on to score 20 Premier League goals and almost single-handedly guided the Gunners to their seventh European final, where they are now at 2/1 to win in Europa League betting. Basically, if the Toon want goals and lots of them, they have to spend their entire transfer budget on a striker.
That probably doesn’t make the most sense when there are other areas that need strengthening fairly urgently.
With so many futures up in the air at St James’ Park, it becomes virtually impossible to plot the way forward for the club with any sort of certainty. It now looks like Rondon will pay the price for the cloud of doubt hanging over the club but he will leave the North East with a lot of respect and will always be very well thought of by the Toon army.