Mike Ashley has the Toon Army fuming based on how he let Rafa Benitez leave Newcastle United, but, at the very least, he should bring back Salomon Rondon.
A few days have passed since Newcastle United essentially forced Rafa Benitez’s departure a week early and the news is still difficult to process. With training camp beginning on July 4th – next Thursday – the club’s top officials are now scrambling to find Benitez’s replacement at St. James’ Park. Any new manager who walks through the door will have their own agenda, style of play and transfer targets, however, Mike Ashley should, at the very least, bring Salomon Rondon back on a permanent basis for the sake of the supporters and the team.
A new report, which quotes West Brom’s managing director Luke Dowling, claims that Newcastle United are still keen on bringing Rondon back to Tyneside despite Benitez’s departure. Rondon was a top transfer target for Benitez, so fans will surely be frustrated if Ashley waited for negotiations with Benitez to fall through to then pay the £16.5M for Rondon’s transfer. As much as that scenario angers me as well, Newcastle United need to bring Rondon back for a few reasons.
Firstly, the Magpies will, hands down, be the lowest scoring team in the Premier League if our front-line solely consists of Dwight Gayle and Yoshinori Muto. Rondon is a superior striker and he displayed that last season by scoring 11 goals and providing seven assists. Secondly, Ayoze Perez has one foot out the door and Miguel Almiron is surely pondering his future seeing that Benitez was the main reason why he joined Newcastle United. Bringing Rondon back could convince both players to stay on Tyneside as the trio flourished together last season and looked like a top five attacking unit.
Finally, the fans, who have suffered from Mike Ashley’s greed and manipulation for over a decade, deserve this move to happen. Rondon has a special bond with the Toon Army and he admired Newcastle United’s supporters well before he played for the Magpies. Bringing Rondon back would not make up for letting Benitez walk, not even close, but it would generate some optimism heading into the new season knowing that a reliable striker would lead our attack.