Aitor Karanka made no secret of his desire to sign Jese Rodriguez during the winter transfer window. The Middlesbrough manager was clearly frustrated to not get in the players he wanted and Jese was one of those.
As Jese’s transfer to PSG quickly turned into an absolute disaster, the French club were looking to send him out and Middlesbrough were the preferred option for them. However, despite Karanka’s repeated attempts to change his mind, Jese had no intention of moving to the English club.
It was likely a bullet dodged, a move to the Canary Islands was bound to suit Las Palmas born Jese better. He arrived as a star, which will stroke that obvious part of his ego, and lapped it all up.
Unfortunately for Jese and Las Palmas the initial hype hasn’t been backed up. In 7 matches, Jese has scored twice, with both of those coming in one game, a 5-2 home victory over Osasuna. There’s been no assists added either and whilst he’s not been playing badly generally, it’s certainly not enough for Las Palmas to consider a longer term deal.
That’s why club president Miguel Angel Ramirez has revealed publicly that Jese won’t be staying beyond the end of the season. He’s keeping Kevin Prince Boateng, report Estadio Deportivo, but has declared Jese will return to PSG.
It puts the French club in a tricky situation, with Jese’s perceived value taking another hit. PSG clearly don’t see a long term future for the player, and Las Palmas have ruled it out, which would leave the 24 year old likely hoping another La Liga club take a chance.
Should Karanka managed to save Middlesbrough from the drop, a further attempt for Jese can’t be ruled out. Whether that would be wise is another thing altogether.
There’s a chance Las Palmas are bluffing and already starting a game to get PSG down on price, but Las Palmas’ president seemed pretty adamant.
