Newcastle owner Mike Ashley refused to pay the £16.5M release clause in Salomon Rondon’s contract this summer – even though the West Brom striker was Rafa’s number one choice.
Rondon has one year left on his contract with a possible (optional) extra year – and that clause has now been triggered by the Baggies.
That means his contract lasts through June 30th of 2020 and next year when he finishes his loan spell at Newcastle he will not become a free agent.
Salomon Rondon – in training this week
And of course, if Rafa makes him into a much better player this season and the Venezuelan scores some goals for us he could cost (a lot?) more than £16.5M.
It’s much the same with Robert Kenedy – he’s here for one season, and neither player came to Newcastle with an option to buy clause in their loan contracts.
That’s what the news has been in the local press.
So when next summer comes around and if both players have played well at Newcastle, their price will have gone up, and maybe significantly.
These are some of the potential negative consequences of Mike Ashley not wanting to give Rafa money to spend in this summer’s transfer window.
And this potential mess next summer could possibly become another nail in the coffin, as we try to keep Rafa Benitez on Tyneside.
It looks like we have Rondon and Kenedy on loan for the season and that’s it.
At the end of the season could even be the last time either player plays for us.
We hope that is not true and maybe Newcastle have negotiated something that we don’t know about?
Hope so.
Otherwise, we could be improving players on loan for the sole benefit of their clubs.
Comments welcome.
64 comments so far
Moonraker15
Aug 17, 2018 at 11:27 AM
Comment #41Jib
One question for you because you said “ask me again when the transfer window is shut”.
What is your overall opinion of the signings in the summer, taking into account we have £23 million surplus on transfers and banked a big payment from Sky etc., and that we will lose Kenedy, Rondon and probably Rafa at the end of the season.
RobLeenio
Aug 17, 2018 at 11:44 AM
Comment #42“we have £23 million surplus on transfers and banked a big payment from Sky etc., and that we will lose Kenedy, Rondon and probably Rafa at the end of the season.”
Moony, there are an awful lot of assumptions in that there series of statements
The consensus seems to be that we don’t know what happened to the money but we also don’t know how much is left, once you take into account agents’ fees, incremental payments, potentially paying off Ashley’s own debt etc.
We can’t possibly know what will happen at the end of the season, given Rafa is making encouraging noises about wanting to stay and nobody knew there was an option to buy in Merino’s contract so how do we know something similar doesn’t exist in those of Rondon and Kenedy?
I think at this point it’s senseless chewing over the transfer window with an “I told you so” attitude when there are more important things to worry about ie a win at Cardiff this weekend.
Personally, I thought the signings we made were good but there were obvious failings with not picking up a left back and number 10. Time will tell how serious these omissions are.
Moonraker15
Aug 17, 2018 at 11:45 AM
Comment #43Jib
@30
Surely you didn’t sleep through the Entertainers era! I’m thinking of Cole. Ferdinand, Ginola, Tino, Lee, Batty!
You have a bad attitude to NUFC in general which comes through in your posts.
Ron Knee
Aug 17, 2018 at 11:51 AM
Comment #44“I think at this point it’s senseless chewing over the transfer window with an “I told you so” attitude when there are more important things to worry about ie a win at Cardiff this weekend.”
Well, I’d agree with that if any of us were actually playing in the match tomorrow. But since we aren’t …
G
Aug 17, 2018 at 11:52 AM
Comment #45Beermonkey @ 40. The idea of ‘Colin’ managing the Toon is going to give me nightmares mate. The man is a poor mans Sam Alardyce. Plays anti-football at the best of times.
RobLeenio
Aug 17, 2018 at 11:54 AM
Comment #46Lol Ron Knee, fair point
Anyway, how do you know I’m not?
(I’m not)
Moonraker15
Aug 17, 2018 at 11:55 AM
Comment #47RobLeenio
It’s a blog and we have to make assumptions because the hierarchy keep us in the dark with their contempt for us.
If Ashley was to make a statement of intent like other owners we would have an idea what’s going on, but when he’s says “ every penny generated will be available “ and then we don’t spend anything in Rafa’s final season you have to be suspicious or you are an idiot!
My point is that this is a golden opportunity whilst we have Rafa and if we let him go through lack of ambition, we may never have the chance again.
Ron Knee
Aug 17, 2018 at 11:57 AM
Comment #48RL
You mean you’re not deputising for Yedlin???
RobLeenio
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:01 PM
Comment #49Ron Knee, I think it’s important that we all recognise our shortcomings in life.
If someone asked me to sprint up and down a wing for 9 minutes, let alone 90, I genuinely think I would die. Even when I played left back, my favoured pace was more of an amble with an occasional energetic burst of jogging
Ron Knee
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:03 PM
Comment #50“A man’s gotta know his limitations.”
Moonraker15
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:05 PM
Comment #51Anyway Rafa has put together some great deals with NO money spent! What a great manager he is!
To have improved the squad after finishing 10th last season and actually have made £23 million I’m wondering whether Ashley will do something to keep Rafa. If he lets him go it will be an act of gross stupidity and incompetence.
Howay the Lads
Nicky the ball tosser
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:05 PM
Comment #52How fuggen true is that?
SredniVashtar
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:08 PM
Comment #53Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand i think the time has come for Rafa bingo to return this weekend
Here is the team I would start:
Dubravka
Sterry Lascelles Fernandez Dummett
Shelvey Diame
Ritchie Muto Kennedy
Rondon
However Rafa won’t start that team so this is my Bingo lineup:
Dubravka
Manquillo Lascelles Clark
SredniVashtar
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:09 PM
Comment #54Oh great my post has sent prematurely again
Here is my Rafa bingo lineup
Dubravka
Manquillo Lascelles Clark Dummett
Diame Shelvey
Ritchie Muto Kennedy
Joselu
Nicky the ball tosser
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:17 PM
Comment #55Yeah, I want Ki, Rondon and Fernandez in. Why wait? But Muto will have to be going some to get the start ahead of Perez, who is a very, very good player.
I’d happily see this 11 run out ….
……………………Dubravka.
Hayden Lascelles Fernandez Dummett.
………………Shelvey Ki Sy.
…………Ritchie Perez Kennedy.
…………………Rondon.
Moonraker15
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:18 PM
Comment #56Sred
Dubs
Sterry
Schar
Lascelles
Dummett
Ki
Shelvey
Diame
Kenedy
Muto
Rondón
lochinvar
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:22 PM
Comment #57Rondon’s transfer value is estimated at just under £12m and in a years time it will be considerably less due to his age. Reality is that Ashley was right not to pay £16.5m to exercise his contract release clause and you can bet that Rondon hasn’t got that same clause in his one year extension contract with WBA as no one would touch him at that price and there’s noway he will want to go back to them especially if they are still in the Championship after tasting the good life in Newcastle.
Difficult to know what we would pay WBA to sign him permanently for another season buy maybe £5m will be the going rate then and probably WBA will have to take it or leave it.
lochinvar
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:25 PM
Comment #58Bingo – think I got it right last week but can never remember ?
Dubravka
Manquillo Lascelles Clark Dummett
Ritchie Diame Shelvey Kennedy
Perez
Joselu
Joselu to start again because Rafa recognises effort and Rondon as a powerful sub against Cardiff will be very effective
Jail for Ashley
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:26 PM
Comment #59SredniVashtar,
The squad isn’t big enough nor are there enough games to play proper Rafa bingo. The team will pretty much pick itself. You might see a bit of a mix up in CM or with Muto and Perez but that’s it.
cyprus
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:29 PM
Comment #60Too many ifs and buts there, Ed.
Equally, one could get stuck with expensive failures, if…
Let’s hope these lads have a good season for us. Our success comes first. If they are higher valued as a consequence, so be it.
Jail for Ashley
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:35 PM
Comment #61Cyprus,
Aye, we wait until we’ve got a world class manager before changing the policy to ensure we don’t get stuck with expensive failures, much better to let a former non league comedians dad lumber a third rate manager with them instead.
Jib
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:42 PM
Comment #62I didn’t realise there was a league for comedians
😛
toonluvva
Aug 17, 2018 at 12:56 PM
Comment #63I’m no great Ashley or Charnley fan.
But with regard to Kenedy and Rondon we have to ask if an option to buy clause was ever on the table.
It it was not, then, the club did the sensible thing and took them on loan. You never know things change and we may find that an attractive bid could secure either or both of them.
I would be really pi55ed off if we refused an option to buy, but why would we do that as there is no compulsion to take up the option.
HWTL
Moonraker15
Aug 17, 2018 at 4:09 PM
Comment #64Toonluvva
If Kenedy and Rondon have a hood season, they will be worth £30 and £20 million respectively. If they don’t have a good season they go back to their clubs and we have to buy replacements and we won’t get much for £16 million total, especially if Rafa’s gone!