Former Newcastle United great Mick Quinn believes signing on-loan Magpies striker Salomon Rondon this summer is a ‘no-brainer’.
The Venezuelan international has been a big hit on Tyneside this season, but his future remains uncertain as he is currently slated to return to parent club West Bromwich Albion at the end of the campaign.
Quinn believes that cannot be allowed to happen.
“As for Rondon, I always thought he’d be an excellent signing,” he wrote in his column for The Chronicle. “If he receives regular service, I’m convinced Rondon can be a 15-goal-a-season striker. I don’t think he’s quite a 20-goal-a-season striker, but he is certainly capable of reaching double figures – and he should get more than 10 this term.
“It’s obvious why Rafa [Benitez] likes him so much – his ability to bring team-mates into play and his workrate are second to none – and he is the type of forward who opposition defenders will hate playing against. All the talk at the moment is whether Newcastle should sign him permanently. Well, for me it’s a no-brainer. At 29, he’s at the peak of his powers and, if Newcastle can sign him up on a two-year deal, that would seem like good business to me.”
OPINION
Everything Quinn says here makes perfect sense. Rondon is the quintessential Benitez striker, he works extremely hard and he brings the midfielders into play. Furthermore, he is an absolute nightmare for the opposition. Defenders hate playing against Rondon and that’s been evident this season. As Quinn says, he’s probably not a 20 goal man, but he is more than capable of getting between 10 and 15 with regularity. He is in his prime at the moment but will soon be entering his thirties, so he’s not a long term solution up front. However, he is good enough to lead the line for the Magpies for the next couple of years while the club brings in a younger frontman to succeed him. Like Quinn says, a two year deal would be perfect. We’ll have to wait and see what the club do come the summer, but bringing Rondon back seems like a sure-fire way to keep Benitez happy.
