OPINION
There’s no doubt that all Newcastle United supporters would have been sweating buckets on Friday upon reading the news that their Premier League rivals West Ham United are interested in striker Salomon Rondon.
The 29-year-old has excelled on loan from West Bromwich Albion this season, and his fine form has seemingly attracted the attention of the Hammers.
The Norther Echo report that Manuel Pellegrini’s side are ready to step in and nick the Venezuelan international if the Magpies are unable to come to terms for a permanent deal for the player this summer.
West Ham are said to be preparing for another major overhaul of their squad and have identified Rondon as a leading target amid concerns that Newcastle will not successfully sign Rondon permanently come the end of his loan spell.
This is exactly what the club’s supporters were hoping to avoid. Mike Ashley is well known for his youth policy; he likes to sign young players with a high sell-on value. Obviously a 29-year-old striker doesn’t exactly fit that remit.
However, due to the huge success Rondon has enjoyed at St James’ Park, you would’ve thought that the club would make an exception just this once, to appease Rafael Benitez if nothing else. However, all the signs now point to the Baggies loanee’s stay on Tyneside being a one year deal.
That’s a shame, and West Ham will end up with a quality top flight striker at Newcastle’s expense. It doesn’t make sense for Newcastle from a footballing standpoint, but that’s rarely been Ashley’s primary concern.
It’s a smart move for the Hammers, honestly, but this just isn’t what Magpies fans wanted. They are keen for Rondon to stay after he has bagged 10 goals and five assists this term in order to become a fan favourite at St James Park.
However, it’s starting to look increasingly likely that that won’t happen, especially now that West Ham have presented the striker with a Premier League alternative and due to the fact the London club likely have no concerns over the player’s age.
