Sky Sports pundit Darren Bent has suggested Danny Rose’s lucrative contract at Tottenham Hotspur could prove to be a “stumbling block” in Newcastle United’s plans to sign the defender permanently.
Reports emerged earlier this week claiming head coach Steve Bruce, Managing Director Lee Charnley and Head of Recruitment Steve Nickson had unanimously agreed to pursue the 5 ft 8 left-back in the summer market, while Spurs would be expected to lower the £20million valuation placed on him in January.
Claims of Bruce longing to keep Rose at St. James’ Park beyond the current campaign were not received warmly by the Toon faithful, who responded to the gaffer’s adoration of the 29-year-old by suggesting he ought to retain Eintracht Frankfurt’s Jetro Willems instead.
But the boss appears firm in his fixation that Rose is a ‘great’ addition to the squad, as Bruce begins ramping up his summer recruitment drive whilst the Premier League season remains on pause.
If Bruce is to keep Rose on Tyneside beyond his loan terms, Bent expects Newcastle will face a major challenge in meeting the 29-cap defender’s current £60,000-per-week contract.
“I think the wage thing will probably be the issue, the stumbling block,” Bent told Football Insider.
“You have to think, because of the wages, the size of the two clubs, you’d probably have to say that is the difficult one, the difficulty for Newcastle.”
Bruce and Managing Director Charnley can easily find a way around the stumbling block that Bent suggests, simply be selling one of the boss’ outcasted players in Yoshinori Muto.
The Japanese striker is one of the club’s highest earners on a £54,000-per-week contract, which only Jonjo Shelvey eclipsed before the arrival of club-record £40m man Joelinton last summer.
Muto will surely be one of the players Bruce deems surplus to requirements at the end of the season, having only called on the 27-year-old to feature in seven of our Premier League fixtures this term and of those, only two came as part of the starting line-up.
Should Bruce look to sell Muto in the summer?
Yes
No
Bruce last fielded Muto for any time in the New Year’s Day defeat to Leicester City, which saw the forward fail to score his first goal since August’s Carabao Cup defeat to the Foxes, and has been without the former 1.FSV Mainz man since due to a hip injury.
With only two goals in 27 games for the Magpies across all competitions since joining, Muto will not be missed if he were sold in the summer, and his wage would easily free space for Rose to arrive permanently if the fullback is who Bruce wants for the role.
In other Newcastle United news, a Bruce favourite appears to be edging closer to the exit door after his latest decision.