Venezuelan International again Linked with the Toon
One of these potential departees is Demba Ba who seems unsettled at St James’ Park having not scored in any of the 13 games he started alongside Papiss Cisse.
But there’s no point in dwelling on what could have been had we found a tactic or a chequebook to soothe Ba’s agitations. Instead, let’s focus on the vast array of alternative talents on offer, such as Malaga’s Jose Salomon Rondon.
The 22 year old played a big part in his side’s qualification for Europe last season, netting 11 goals in 37 league games, making him their top scorer for the season. Admittedly, this isn’t a brilliant goalscoring statistic. But does it really need to be? I’d like to think that Cisse will continue where he left off last season, meaning that Rondon wouldn’t have the burden of scoring continuously, but instead forming a good partnership with our talismanic striker.
Standing at 6 ft 1 in, Rondon certainly has the physically robustness which is often crucial to performing as a striker in the Premier League. He also has a decorated international career considering his young age, with 8 goals in 24 games for Venezuela. All this could stand him in good stead for a possible move to the top tier in England.
However, there are two issues which could hinder any realistic move made by the club for the Venezuelan. The first is the fact that Chelsea and Arsenal are also apparently interested. Rondon could be tempted by a move to a club which will be playing Champions League football next season.
The second issue is that Malaga could be demanding £20m for the player. Obviously, even considering to match these demands would be essentially stupid. Despite showing bags of promise, Rondon is an unproven striker. I therefore suggest we take a few steps away from him if these rumours are in fact true.
Current Ability: 3/5
Likelihood of signing: 2/5
Transfer value: Malaga could be demanding £20 million
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