Townsend returning to Newcastle is on the cards
Andros Townsend arrived on Tyneside for £13million from Tottenham Hotspur during the January transfer window of the 2015/16 season. Under Rafael Benitez’s guidance, he blossomed and impressed the Geordie faithful, but neither him nor Rafa could save Newcastle from their inevitable relegation to the Championship and he departed the team to join Crystal Palace.
A difficult start to life at Selhurst Park for Townsend sparked rumours of a potential Newcastle return being on the cards and, according to the Mail, talks between the Magpies and Crystal Palace have already commenced.
Despite his fine performances for the Toon last campaign, the rumour has been met with some backlash from fans claiming he ‘bailed on us’ and jumped a sinking ship at the first opportunity, upon Newcastle’s relegation to the Championship.
As a fan, it was sad to see Andros leave. He’s a player who gave some good performances for us and showed passion in a time when we lacked it completely.
*cough* Moussa Sissoko *cough*
An addition of his quality in this league can have a huge impact on our promotion push and, therefore, his departure in the summer should not be held against him. He is a player at a certain point in his career where he felt he could not afford to take the risk at Newcastle, with international football at stake.
Perhaps Townsend could have dealt with the situation better – waiting until January to reassess his situation before leaving Newcastle – but it is too late now. He left, he realised the grass is not always greener and – with a bright future ahead of us as a club – Townsend has realised the error of his ways.
Reflecting upon his time at the club, he was a wonderful servant for us. Four goals and two assists in thirteen games is a good record for a winger at a club in a pit of doom and all but relegated.
Fans of the club are split down the middle with many still upset with him departing following the drop and the others would take the man back in a heartbeat. For me, it’s simple; he will add a lot to our current squad and boosts our chances of winning the Championship. Easy. Not only that, Townsend did not owe us a thing when he left and he tried his utmost best when played. From the stands, it was evident there was a blossoming relationship between Benitez and the player which makes we question; why can’t we reignite this and march on to the Premier League.
One issue we should be focusing on is his transfer price. When we signed him from Tottenham Hotspur, we paid circa £13m for him and when he departed St James’ Park, we sold him for around the same price (via TransferMarkt). Now, this makes me sceptical – does this mean we are going to have to pay extra for a man we have just sold? Are we going to have to pay a few more million to a player who hasn’t proven he is worth these millions at his new club? Or will we pay less than we did for him last time? One thing is, if the financials aren’t right and we aren’t profiting financially from this then you can kiss goodbye to the player because that’s all Mike Ashley and co. care about.
One thing I know is, I enjoyed watching Townsend play in the black and white under Benitez and I would happily see it again given a good price.