OPINION
Ray Parlour claimed that former Arsenal attacker Danny Welbeck would be perfect for Newcastle United but surely the player’s wage demands stop that being the case.
The Arsenal legend shared that he thought the 28-year-old forward would be perfect for the Magpies or Premier League rivals West Ham this summer despite being told about how much Welbeck wanted to be paid by a club.
“I think he would be perfect for West Ham or Newcastle,” said Parlour on talkSPORT (7:11am, Monday, July 29th).
The Sun reported on Sunday that Welbeck was struggling to find a new club after leaving Arsenal to become a free agent as he is demanding a salary of £100,000-a-week and also claimed that he wants a signing-on fee for £5million.
Given that he was offered to the Magpies, as previously reported by the Chronicle, it does seem believable that there is a clear reason why he hasn’t been snapped up yet.
When you consider the Magpies’ top-earner is currently Jonjo Shelvey, who earns £70,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), it’s hard to view Welbeck as the perfect signing as his wage demands are significantly above what they pay most members of their first-team.
The 28-year-old’s arrival could cause a ruck in the dressing room as a result, as if the Magpies paid him that sort of money to get him, then noses would surely be put out of joint.
Also when you consider Welbeck’s worrying injury record alongside his wage demands, it hardly sounds like a no-brainer.
The former Arsenal forward has had several serious injuries during his playing career, he’s had four injuries that have kept him out for over 100 days (Source: Transfermarkt), and he even missed 41 games of his latest campaign due to an ankle injury.
So it wouldn’t be a surprise if Welbeck turned up at St James Park, played a few games then got himself ruled out for a few weeks as he does seem injury prone.
When you consider that the Magpies have limited forward options as it is, Yoshinori Muto and Joelinton being the only out-and-out centre-forwards on the books, Steve Bruce can’t waste valuable resources on a player who may end up not being available for large chunks of the season.
This is the case even though Welbeck averaged a goal every 121 minutes last season, which is the same as eventual Premier League Golden Boot winner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang averaged, by scoring five goals in 14 outings. (Source: BBC Sport)
So while Welbeck would be worth a gamble, he has scored 42 goals and registered 26 assists in 206 Premier League appearances, Parlour is surely wrong to describe him as being “perfect” for Bruce’s team.
