Sky Sports pundit Steve Sidwell has praised Newcastle United striker Salomon Rondon, suggesting that the Venezuelan could be key to the Magpies’ Premier League survival.
The 29-year-old has hit six goals in all competitions since signing on loan from West Brom over the summer, and Sky pundit Sidwell singled him out for his contribution, as well as praising Rafa Benitez for bringing him in.
Speaking on The Debate, as quoted in the Chronicle, he said: They’re desperate for goals. He [Benitez] has worked miracles in what he’s done there with the squad he’s got and that’s the remit from Mike Ashley.
“He’s not really going to spend, if he does it’s going to be very, very little.
“That’s why he’s got the main man in charge to get the best out of all them players, they’ve got a chance with [Salomon] Rondon up top – I’m a big fan of him.
“Balls that come into the box, he’s a presence, he gets himself on the end of things, if not he can get on the knockdowns and bring others into play but the fans deserve better up there.”
OPINION
Goals keep you up, it’s that simple. 99% of the time, sides go down because they do not have the firepower to prevent themselves from slipping under. It’s being shown again this season with Huddersfield Town, and if Newcastle aren’t careful, it could be the ruin of them too. Rondon has done well since he’s come in, but he needs help, in both the scoring department and the creativity to provide him with chances. The target man has a lot to offer, and has shown that he can operate on the bare minimum, but the Toon Army need to start pulling away from the danger zone, and they’re not going to do that if they’re only scoring a goal a game. The priority now for Benitez will be to bring in a creative type and a finisher before the end of the transfer window, but that’s a lot easier said than done, and it could well be that Rondon’s heroics have to be taken up another gear.
