Salomon Rondon was the main target of the summer for Newcastle United, but when will his lack of goals become a major issue?
Rafa Benitez was determined to secure the services of Salomon Rondon from West Brom during the summer transfer window and he did just that by completing a loan swap that saw Dwight Gayle go to West Brom. The announcement of Rondon coming to Newcastle United was met with positive reactions from supporters and pundits.
After 11 matches, though, the Venezuelan international has failed to score a single goal in Premier League action. His only goal for Newcastle came in a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the English Football League Cup.
To his defense, Rondon was given time to improve his conditioning as a result of not being featured in West Brom’s pre-season fixtures, and he missed an entire month for Newcastle with a thigh injury. Rondon has recovered from his injury and has been featured as a starter for the Magpies since his recovery, but when should he begin feeling the pressure of earning a permanent move to Tyneside?
Rondon Needs To Start Scoring Goals… Now
When Rondon signed a one-year loan deal with Newcastle, my first thought was that the Magpies got the man they were looking for and were in dire need of on the front-line. I still believe that Rondon is capable of scoring goals in double-digit figures, however, his time is running out.
Some supporters are beginning to fear that Rondon is becoming the next Islam Slimani, but he can silence those voices by bagging some goals before the new year. Rondon admires the Toon Army and he claims that they are best group of supporters he has ever played in front of. Such statements are great for maintaining popularity on Tyneside, but actions speak louder than words.
Newcastle have only scored seven goals in 11 matches and Benitez needs Rondon to step up his game immediately. With 27 matches remaining on the schedule, Rondon has plenty of chances to turn his form around and his objective should be to score ten or more goals in the process. If Rondon can meet that goal, the odds of him making a permanent move to Newcastle will increase significantly.