Losing Perez and Rondon would be detrimental for Newcastle

Newcastle United are a team with more questions than answers, especially when it comes to Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon.

Newcastle United ended the 2018-19 campaign on a high note and they comfortably avoided relegation with a few weeks to spare. The Magpies struggled to find points between August and December, but they turned things around in the second half of the season thanks to the stellar form of Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon.

Perez was the team’s leading scorer last season with eight goals and he defended his title by leading the pack once more with 12 goals this term. Rondon also enjoyed the best form of his Premier League career by scoring 11 goals for the Toon. In addition to scoring a combined total of 23 goals, the attacking duo also provided nine assists.

To put things in perspective, Perez and Rondon scored 55% of Newcastle’s goals this season and were directly involved in 76% of the team’s goals. Based on these statistics, the Magpies were heavily dependent on the Spaniard and Venezuelan up top. As a result, the ideal situation would be for both players to stay on Tyneside, but Newcastle must do all they can to keep at least one of these players. Losing both of them would undoubtedly throw Newcastle back in the relegation mix.

Keeping Rondon

We all heard the chant at Craven Cottage after Rondon scored Newcastle’s fourth goal of the afternoon, “We want you to stay, we want you to stay, Salomon Rondon, we want you to stay!” Mike Ashley heard that chant loud and clear and responded with a grin, but he needs to act quickly to sign Rondon to a permanent contract. West Brom have officially missed out on promotion this season after Aston Villa eliminated them from the Championship Play-offs yesterday.

This is great news for Newcastle as the Toon can now negotiate a deal that would allow West Brom to keep Dwight Gayle and Jacob Murphy on the cheap in exchange for a discounted price on Rondon. The Venezuelan scored 11 times, provided seven assists and even hit the post on six occasions, so his tally could have reached 17 goals this season. With Almiron on the team now, Rondon would continue to score in double figures. Can Newcastle find another striker this summer? Yes, of course, but Rondon fits Newcastle’s system perfectly and he is a fan favorite for a reason.

Keeping Perez

In my opinion, holding on to Perez will be more difficult than signing Rondon to a permanent contract. The 25-year-old joined Newcastle back in 2014 and has made more Premier League appearances with the Magpies (143) than any other player on the roster. Perez is also one of the only players who has improved his form every season.

Over the last two seasons, the Spaniard made 73 appearances for Newcastle, scored 20 goals and provided seven assists. This form has now attracted the attention of several clubs around Europe, with Inter Milan, Napoli, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis expressing the most interest in Perez.

There is still a chance that Newcastle will hold on to their top scorer, but his recent interviews and body language on the pitch are indicating that he is ready for a new challenge. That being said, though, Newcastle should still sit down with Perez and try to negotiate a new contract, especially if a deal for Rondon breaks down this summer. Losing both players would be a major setback for the club, but so long as Mike Ashley can convince Rafa Benitez to sign a contract extension, Newcastle should have a decent chance at keeping both players.