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Salomon Rondon couldn’t be clearer about how he’s now feeling at Newcastle “I’m really happy”

5 years ago
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A superb Salomon Rondon free-kick appeared to ave set Newcastle on their way to a first Premier League away win in three months.

Only for Mike Dean to intervene with a shocking penalty decision to help turn the game, Newcastle needing an arguably even better Matt Ritchie volleyed finish to rescue a point.

Salomon Rondon has now equalled his best ever previous goal tally in the Premier League and now has seven games left to beat it.

His first season at West Brom saw the striker score nine Premier League goals in 2015/16 plus one in the domestic cups.

Rondon has now done the same, the goal at Bournemouth his third against them this season and his ninth in the Premier League, plus the League Cup one at Forest.

That only tells part of the story though this season.

With no pre-season at Newcastle and then injury, the loan striker wasn’t properly fit until a few months into the season. He has actually scored nine PL goals in his last 19 starts, suggesting that with a proper pre-season at Newcastle he could leave his past record of 24 PL goals at West Brom in three seasons well behind.

No doubts about how the player himself feels, declaring ‘I’m really happy. It’s the reason the gaffer brought me here, to try to score goals and help the team to stay up.’

With five assists as well, Salomon Rondon has been directly involved in 14 of Newcastle’s 31 PL goals and he has only started 23 league matches.

With 1,979 PL minutes played, Rondon is scoring or creating a goal every 141 minutes, roughly two every three matches.

At any normal club it would be a simple decision to do what it takes to buy him in the summer.

At Mike Ashley’s Newcastle though, most fans think it is more likely that the owner will be happy to see both Salomon Rondon and Rafa Benitez walk away, as he is set to yet again refuse to back a manager and fail to allow a very good player to be bought simply because he turns 30 in September.

Salomon Rondon talking to the club site:

“I’m really happy.

“It’s the reason the gaffer brought me here, to try to score goals and help the team to stay up.

“And that’s it. I just try to do my job and keep going.

“I hope I can keep scoring goals for the team, help the team and after that we will see.

“Every striker, you want to score 15 goals, 20 goals – everyone knows that.

“At the moment I have to go step by step, try to keep scoring and not lose my focus.

“It was a difficult game. It always is when you play against a team like Bournemouth, who are doing really well.

“They are on their own pitch, with their supporters, but I think we did really well.

“We started really well, we scored first, and after that we tried to keep going and win the game.

“They scored within two minutes (of the second half starting) – it is difficult to say if it was a penalty – but the most important thing is we never give up.

“At 2-1, they tried to keep their lead but we kept trying to score and we did. We deserved the goal. We were working really hard.

“The job is not done (of safety from relegation). We have to keep going, to carry on.

“We’ve got a few games at home – we have to try and win those games – and we have to continue with the same attitude, spirit and try to win more points.”

Stats from BBC Sport:

Bournemouth 2 Newcastle 2

Goals:

Newcastle:

Rondon 45+5, Ritchie 90+3

Bournemouth:

King 48 (pen), 81

Possession was Bournemouth 49% Newcastle 51%

Total shots were Bournemouth 10 Newcastle 12

Shots on target were Bournemouth 3 Newcastle 4

Corners were Bournemouth 6 Newcastle 6

Referee: Mike Dean

Newcastle United:

Dubravka, Yedlin, Fernandez, Dummett, Lejeune, Ritchie, Hayden, Diame (Shelvey 83), Almiron (Muto 82), Perez (Atsu 72), Rondon

Unused Subs:

Darlow, Manquillo, Clark, Kenedy,

Crowd: Crowd 10,625 (Newcastle 1,300)

(Rafa Benitez very unhappy with Mike Dean – Read HERE)

(To read instant NUFC fan/writer reaction to the game go HERE)

(Fair play to Eddie Howe for these measured words after late Ritchie equaliser)

(Paul Merson was covering the match for Sky Sports – Read HERE)

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