Steve Bruce has refused to get drawn into talking about Tottenham Hotspur left-back Danny Rose, but did proceed to compliment the defender.
A pair of season-ending injuries to Jetro Willems and Paul Dummett has left the Magpies very short in the left wing-back position – and the club on Tyneside have already been linked to the England international (Evening Standard), who is out of favour at Spurs.
The potential deal still looks a long way away, but Bruce proceeded to compliment the former Leeds youth player of his ability, while not getting drawn into discussions about another team’s player.
When asked about Rose, Bruce said (via The Chronicle, January 24): “It would be wrong for me to sit and talk about other people’s players.
“He’s a quality player and a class act the kid. Whether it’s possible, who knows?”
While this doesn’t exclusively say that the Magpies are wanting the player, it pretty much confirms the interest. He’s suggesting that they are going to try and attempt it by asking whether it is possible, and he could have easily just said that they weren’t wanting him if he had wanted to.
The Chronicle report that he is contracted until 2021 and is currently earning a contract of £60,000 a week – and he does not want to take a hit to his paycheck.
The 29-year-old has now been left out of three consecutive matchday squads by Tottenham, and Mourinho has already made it clear that Welshman Ben Davies is his preferred choice, leaving Rose with some decisions to make – especially with the Euros coming up in the summer and with him now seemingly beyond his peak as a footballer.
Would you take Rose in the January window?
Yes
No
At his age, he is entering the ‘final big contract’ stage of his career; a statement, which while brandished around a lot of the time, is still partly true given that he is heading into his thirties and his days playing at the highest level are limited.
If the club can arrange a decent fee for the player, they should be willing to throw everything they have at Rose, as £60,000 per week is very fair for a player of his calibre.
For context, The Chronicle have reported that Ki Sung-yeung earns the exact same as that, so if he departs in this window then that is already his wages subsidised.
Convincing Rose to join is a whole different matter – but now looks like the right time to take a punt.