Why a swap move involving Rondon and Gayle will be a good move for Newcastle
Newcastle United are looking to tie up a loan deal for West Brom striker Salomon Rondon, reports the Sky Sports. It is a season-long swap that sees Dwight Gayle join West Brom with Newcastle paying a fee of around £2m.
Rondon, 28, scored 10 goals in 39 games for West Brom across all competitions last season but was unable to prevent the club from suffering relegation.
Meanwhile, Gayle found the net only 6 times in 37 appearances for Newcastle last campaign as they finished 10th in the Premier League.
Benitez has already claimed he needs to increase competition within the squad and while the Magpies completed the signings of Fabian Schar and Yoshinori Muto last week, the Spanish gaffer feels there is a lot of work still to be done before he has a squad capable of sustaining another Premier League season.
The need could soon be fulfilled with Rondon moving to Tyneside from West Brom in part of a swap deal that would see Gayle join the Baggies. But is the swap deal perfect for Newcastle?
To some extent, the swap deal involving Rondon and Gayle makes sense.
Gayle was far from prolific in the Premier League last season, scoring just a half a dozen goals for Newcastle. He has failed to replicate his form from the 2016/17 Championship campaign that saw him score 23 goals in 34 games.
Of course, Premier League is a completely different animal to the Championship but Gayle hardly offered anything last season, while his fellow striker Joselu endured a torrid debut season at St.James’ Park.
The never-ending problem of a lack of goals last term pointed out Newcastle’s apparent need for a striker this summer. With Aleksandar Mitrovic sealing a permanent switch to Fulham following a successful loan spell, it is vital for Benitez to bring in a target-man.
In Rondon, Benitez will have a target-man in his ranks. Rondon, however, does not represent a world-class striker and has spent the majority of his Premier League career feeding the scraps in West Brom colours.
Despite getting relegated to the Championship this past campaign, the Venezuelan was one of those who emerged from the season with some credibility, scoring 10 goals in all competitions for the Baggies.
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The 28-year-old Rondon’s record in England is far from prolific but he has provided a respectable haul of goals in an underperforming West Brom side in each of his three full seasons. After three underwhelming seasons at Midlands, he will be hoping for better service at Newcastle and if Benitez manages to get the best out of him, Rondon would represent a massive signing next season.