Salomon Rondon during his loan spell at Newcastle from West Brom last season. (Getty Images)
Newcastle United picked up just their second victory of the ongoing term as they defeated AFC Bournemouth 2-1 at the St. James’ Park this past weekend, thanks to a double strike from on-loan striker Salomon Rondon. The victory lifted Rafael Benitez’s men out of the bottom three to 14th in the league standings, with 9 points from 12 matches.
Following the game, the manager praised Rondon’s performance on the day and hinted that Newcastle are open to making the Venezuelan striker’s loan from West Bromwich Albion into a permanent transfer.
“I have no idea about the terms of the contract, but if he keeps scoring two goals a game, of course [we’d want him permanently,” Benitez said. (h/t Chronicle Live)
“I don’t know the terms of the contract or when we discuss that. I’m not that interested, if he keeps scoring goals, Lee [Charney] will be looking at the terms of the contract and worrying about that.”
So, would signing the 29-year-old on a permanent basis be the right move for the Tynesiders?
Rondon arrived at St. James’ Park from West Brom on a season-long loan, with Dwight Gayle moving the other way on a temporary basis. However, the Venezuelan’s spell with the Magpies has not started all too well as he has had to miss a number of games due to injury problems.
During his spell with the Tyneside outfit so far, Rondon has 8 appearances across all competitions, totalling up to 420 minutes of action. He has found the back of the net on three occasions and has registered a solitary assist.
While the numbers aren’t exactly mind-boggling, his performance against Bournemouth this past weekend gave an idea as to what the Venezuelan brings to the table when fit and firing.
Rondon offers a focal point to the Newcastle attack with his imposing physical presence and ability to hold the ball up in the final third and bring his teammates into play. At the same time, the former Malaga striker is equally capable of playing on the shoulders of centre-halves and making smart runs in behind defences.
The 29-year-old striker’s presence in the box and his top-notch aerial abilities provides the likes of Matt Ritchie and Kenedy a target to whip in crosses from out wide. More often than not, Rondon manages to get on the end of those, which makes him a nuisance for opposition defences.
Along with that, the 69-time capped Venezuelan international’s experience in the English top-flight is a major asset for Newcastle. Rondon, till date, has made 115 appearances in the Premier League for West Brom and Newcastle combined, scoring 28 goals and setting up 10 more.
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It might be too early to judge how his loan spell with the Magpies will pan out, but if he maintains the same level of performances as he did against Bournemouth, a permanent move would be the right way to go about for Benitez and Newcastle.
