GREAT NEWS: The Everton disaster has seven goals in nine outings since leaving Goodison Park.

Over the past few seasons, Everton has seen a number of signings and departures from both their playing and coaching staff. Some of the newcomers have failed to make an impact, while others have become ‘cult heroes’ among the Everton supporters.

Due to their recent struggles, the Toffees are currently in 17th place, only one point above the relegation zone.

Granted, it is important to consider that Sean Dyche’s team has been docked ten points so far this season. On the other hand, it seems like the Toffees could have performed much better.

Being the third-lowest scoring team in England’s premier league is a major factor in why they are only marginally above the drop zone.

To make matters worse for the Toffees, their main forwards, Beto and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, have scored more goals than striker Neal Maupay, who was loaned to Brentford at the beginning of the season.

Dyche would surely be frustrated by these numbers because it was he who approved the transfer. Everton has had numerous excellent strikers in the past; at various times, Wayne Rooney, Tim Cahill, and even Samuel Eto’o have all played for the team. They had remarkable success away from Goodison, but Salomon Rondon, who may not be as great, is currently thriving somewhere else.

The career of Salomon Rondon prior to joining Everton

He was reunited with his previous manager for the third time after the two were both at Newcastle and Dalian Professional at the same time. He joined the Toffees on a free transfer from Chinese club Dalian Professional in the summer of 2021.

There was a great deal of excitement surrounding his acquisition because the Venezuelan had performed admirably during his two prior stays in England.

He spent the 2015–16 season at West Brom, his first English club, which he had signed for a reported sum of £12 million. He left the club in 2017–18.

He played 120 games overall while playing for the Baggies, contributing 38 goals, 20 of which were his own. Newcastle’s Benitez became interested after seeing this comeback, and he became the Venezuelan international his top priority.

Later, he signed a season-long loan with the Magpies, and in exchange, West Brom loaned Dwight Gayle.

“It’s one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and I knew about the interest of the gaffer, so I’m happy to be here,” Rondon said in a statement upon arriving at Newcastle.

The manager, Benitez, then offered his opinion on Rondon’s inclusion in the team. “I’m thrilled to have signed Salomón,” he declared.

“We were aware of the significance of experience when we were initially exploring our alternatives. Salomón has experience in the Premier League and is aware of its high standards. He and Yoshinori Muto will provide us with options and enhance the competitiveness among the strikers, both of which are advantageous to the squad in general.”

Although the forward made 33 appearances for the Magpies and was involved in 19 goals, Newcastle turned down the opportunity to sign him on a long-term basis.

That’s even though he’s the first forward to win Newcastle’s 2019 Player of the Year title since Alan Shearer did in 2003.

Since Rafa Benitez had also left the Tyneside club that season, many at the time believed that Mike Ashley had made a mistake.

Since then, Rondon has discussed leaving Newcastle. “For me, it was a wonderful year. I enjoyed it so much since my fans were always there for me,” he stated via Goal.

“It was fun to play with the number nine shirt, I scored goals, and St. James’ Park had a fantastic atmosphere.” I shall never forget that season. Was it a letdown to go? Yes, as I had an expectation of something. I was anticipating Rafa.”

But the couple was soon back together in China, where Rondon had just been living for a year.

Everton and Benitez were interested in him after his time in China, when he scored 14 goals inall.

Rondon’s Everton tenure in numbers

You guessed it—Benitez, the Everton manager at the time, was responsible for getting the then-31-year-old back into the Premier League.

But his time with the Toffees wasn’t as successful as his last English campaign with Newcastle.

In the two seasons that the burly forward wore the blue of Everton, he only managed to make 31 appearances and contribute to just four goals.

The main reason the former Newcastle Player of the Year was labeled a washout while he was at Everton was because of this significant fall from favor.

His contract was terminated because the Toffees held such low esteem for him during his time there. The Venezuelan’s request for additional playing time after being left out of the team by former manager Frank Lampard was aided by this dismissal.

What transpired with Rondon following Everton

After being fired, Rondon ended up representing River Plate in Argentina. Initially, he had committed to a two-year contract that would have kept him with the team through December 2025.

But like his time at Everton, he was out of the team less than a year into his deal. Even though he had only been at River for a little over a year, he was able to somewhat regain his form, making 35 appearances and scoring 10 goals.

While this may not be the best return, it’s still a great deal more than what he accomplished at Everton.

The 34-year-old is now playing for CF Pachuca in Mexico’s top league for the 2023–2024 season.

It seems like he has rediscovered the goal-scoring form he displayed while playing for Newcastle since his arrival in Mexico.

He has managed to provide seven goals in just nine games, which is more than Calvert-Lewin and Beto combined.

Even though Rondon’s career has been quite the roller coaster, he seems to have found a place to call home in his later years.

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