Former Newcastle United and Manchester United striker Andy Cole has hammered the loan signing of Salomon Rondon from West Brom and blamed manager Rafael Benitez for creating the club’s own problems at times.
The Magpies secured the temporary signing of the Venezuelan hitman from the Baggies in a deal which saw Dwight Gayle head in the opposite direction, Rondon netting five goals in the Premier League this season.
However Cole blasted the decision to offload Aleksandar Mitrovic and replace him with the West Brom man, insisting that while a good manager Benitez has invited his own issues this season.
He told Sky Sports’ The Debate (16/01, 22:00): “I think with the manager they have, he works wonders with the players he has and the money he’s spent. How long can that continue?
“If you look at what’s at the bottom there are maybe a few teams worse off than Newcastle but if they do get a little bit of money to spend now to get two or three players to strengthen the squad, he’ll keep them up.
“The strange one for me is looking at who they brought in. They got rid of Mitrovic and brought in Rondon. Rondon’s not going to score more goals than Mitrovic, he’s not going to do it so you create your own problems.”
Opinion
Cole definitely knows what it take to be a successful striker at Newcastle but he has obviously forgotten at how much of a flop Mitrovic was before joining Fulham last year. The Serbian powerhouse offered little to nothing up top and while Rondon has found it difficult this season he is a hard worker who brings his teammates into play. Fans at St James’ Park love Rondon and probably do not share Cole’s views, even if Mitrovic was something of a cult favourite on Tyneside. Is he enough to keep Newcastle safe this season? If he can be given the proper service from those behind him he will stick the ball in the back of the net. That is the biggest issue that Newcastle have on their hands right now and with January coming to a close in the coming weeks, it has to be a priority for Rafa Benitez now.