OPINION
By now we all know the story. Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez was hugely keen to bring Salomon Rondon in last summer, but the Magpies board weren’t so taken by the idea.
Eventually the Venezuelan joined on a season long loan deal, impressing hugely in a wonderful debut season on Tyneside. However, concerns remain that the Newcastle hierarchy will ignore Benitez’s wishes and refuse to sign him permanently this summer.
Rondon, for his part, believes he’s proved his manager right with his performances this campaign: “I spoke with Rafa before I arrived here,” he told the Shields Gazette. “He tried to sign me, but you know what happened between the two clubs. It was not me.
“I’ve tried to do my best. I had a couple of injuries, but I came back and helped the team. I think I have done my job this season. After that, we will have to wait and see what happens.”
If you read between the lines there it’s clear that Rondon isn’t exactly overjoyed by the Newcastle chiefs’ reluctance to pay what it took to sign him permanently last summer.
‘You know what happened between the two clubs’. He’s talking about the constant quibbling over transfer fees that the Magpies and West Bromwich Albion engaged in before a loan swap deal of sorts was agreed which sent Dwight Gayle to the Hawthorns.
No player wants to see a team who are supposedly interested in him balk at the transfer fee that it takes to sign him. Rondon is no different, hence him taking a subtle shot at the Newcastle board here.
He’s spot on, though, when he says he did his job this season. 11 goals and seven assists is something to be proud of playing in this rigid Magpies team. He’s a brilliant focal point for Benitez’s side and his presence has improved countless players, from Ayoze Perez to Matt Ritchie.
Hopefully the club heeds Rondon’s words and realises that it’s worth paying whatever it takes to keep him around next season. Otherwise we may see him come out with even fiercer attacks on the Newcastle hierarchy.
