The West Brom, Newcastle United swap deal that was simply perfect for all parties.

Both Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion competed in the 2017/18 Premier League season, but the results were radically different.

 

The Magpies had won the 2017 Championship and went into the top-flight season knowing that survival was their major goal. However, they were expertly handled by former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, who led the North East club to a remarkable 10th place finish in the Premier League in spring 2018. Meanwhile, the Baggies finished last in the Premier League at the end of the 2017/18 season, capping off an impressive eight-year run. However, by the summer of 2018, the Magpies and the Baggies had a common purpose in the transfer market, as they both sought to reshape their respective forward lines, which ended in the two clubs agreeing on a season-long loan swap arrangement, for strikers Salomon Rondon and Dwight Gayle.

2018 Newcastle United and West Brom swap deal was perfect for all parties

During the aforementioned 2017/18 Premier League season, Rondon failed to score the goals that could have saved the Baggies from relegation. In fact, he scored only seven goals in 36 top-flight appearances that season, and a lack of firepower was a big reason why the West Midlands team finished last in the league. Meanwhile, Newcastle’s top-half finish came despite the fact that striker Gayle had scored just six goals in 35 Premier League encounters, which caused Benitez to re-think his forward line during the summer of 2018.

Although Rondon had not established himself to be a prolific striker during his time with the Baggies, the Magpies were interested in gaining his services owing to his physical presence, whereas West Brom preferred to sign Gayle, who had proven himself to be a regular goalscorer in the Championship. When the Magpies won the second-tier title in 2017, their success was primarily down to the efforts of the former Crystal Palace player, who scored 23 goals in 39 Championship appearances that season.

Having seen his impressive goal-scoring abilities in the second tier with the Magpies, the Baggies swooped for him in an attempt to gain immediate promotion back to the Premier League. Ultimately, the West Midlands club did not gain promotion to the top division at the end of the 2018/19 season, but the striker on loan from Newcastle helped them secure a play-off place. The Magpies also benefited from their half of the agreement, since Rondon’s form in front of goal was far better in the North East than it had ever been during his tenure at the Hawthorns. The Venezuelan international scored an amazing return of 11 goals and seven assists in 32 Premier League matches during the 2018-19 season, as Benitez’s men finished in a comfortable 13th position.

In retrospect, the swap agreement for Gayle and Rondon’s services was a brilliant move by both clubs, as both gained a striker who would go on to serve them well.

Gayle formed a formidable Baggies partnership with Jay Rodriguez

Gayle not only arrived at the Hawthorns and became an instant favourite among Baggies fans by scoring 24 goals in 40 Championship matches, but he also forged a formidable attack partnership with former England international Jay Rodriguez. Rodriguez was just as dangerous as the Newcastle loanee at the time, scoring 22 second-tier goals to help his team finish fourth that season. However, the Baggies were eliminated from the play-off semi-finals after losing a penalty shootout to West Midlands rivals Aston Villa. Albion fans will always wonder why their team did not advance after a season in which they had such a fearsome strike partnership at their disposal.

However, the success of the Baggies’ swap deal with the Magpies cannot be understated, as both clubs pulled off a stroke of genius in the transfer market.

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