Newcastle United seemingly won’t be signing Salomon Rondon permanently.
According to The Sun, Newcastle United high-ups had big fears that Salomon Rondon’s form was only so good because he was trying to earn a permanent move to St James’ Park.
The Magpies announced on Monday that boss Rafael Benitez is leaving the club on Sunday when his contract expires, sparking rage on Tyneside from disgruntled supporters.
Benitez’s exit also means that striker Rondon is unlikely to earn a permanent move, as it was Benitez who desperately wanted him back at St James’ Park whilst Newcastle staff were unsure about re-signing him.
It’s now even claimed that the Newcastle board were reluctant to sign Rondon permanently because they feared that he only played so well last season because he wanted to earn a full-time deal.
It almost goes without saying that Rondon wanted to earn a permanent move, but it seems that the Newcastle board have bizarrely managed to take that as a negative thing. What more did they want from him? He had found a manager who got the best out of him, and yet his fine performances have been held against him if this report is true.
They seemingly felt that Rondon’s form was a ‘one-off’, and that he would revert to his more disappointing West Bromwich Albion form once he signed permanently, as that was his best goal tally since leaving Zenit St Petersburg in 2015.
Many players over the years have done similar, downing tools once they’ve landed a nice long-term contract, but had Rondon been under Benitez for the coming years, it’s hard to imagine that would have happened.
The Venezuelan hitman notched 11 goals and seven assists in a superb campaign, and now looks set to move on to a Premier League rival as a permanent move to Newcastle appears to be off the table.
Newcastle fans will be baffled by this alleged stance on such a popular player, and the resentment towards the decision-makers at St James’ Park will only grow as two key men from last season will be elsewhere next term.
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