The Newcastle United board questioned manager Rafael Benitez’s decision to sign striker Salomon Rondon last summer, according to The Chronicle.
The newspaper claims that the powers that be at St James’ Park were concerned by Benitez’s decision to place the Venezuelan as his number one transfer target.
Eyebrows were raised and queries voiced, with the main sticking point being that the West Bromwich Albion man had never scored more than nine goals in a Premier League season.
However, Benitez persisted and managed to bring the player in on loan. The 29-year-old has gone on to excel at Tyneside in a fine individual season.
OPINION
This pretty much follows the narrative surrounding Rondon’s time at Newcastle. The manager loves him and wants him to stay, but the board aren’t so sure. The problem, evidently, is his age and his price tag. That was the case last summer and it likely will be again in a few months time. However, Benitez got what he wanted last time out so it will be interesting to see if he gets his way again this time. After the performances Rondon has produced this campaign you would have thought that the club’s stance on him would have softened. However, every indication is that that’s not been the case. You can’t really blame the board for raising their eyebrows when Benitez named Rondon as his number one transfer target. He’d never truly excelled at West Brom, but it appears the Spaniard knew something the rest of us did not. The striker has been excellent this term and it would be a real shame if he were to return to the Hawthorns in the summer.
