Source: Northern_Echo
Hughton happy for striker to stay at Santander
CHRIS HUGHTON is banking on Racing Santander ending Xisco's misery at Newcastle. Racing's 2-0 victory over Sporting Gijon last weekend preserved their place in the Primera Liga, increasing hopes of a permanent deal. Xisco has figured quite prominently during his season long loan from St James' Park, scoring four goals, having failed to make any positive impact in England. Hughton is hoping to hear from Racing because he is keen to move Xisco on again in an attempt to eradicate his £50,000 a week wages. He's our player again now because the Spanish season has finished but Xisco has shown his desire to go back to Spain on a permanent basis, said Hughton. He would like to stay (at Racing Santander) and I think that is understandable because it hasn't really worked for him here. It is something we will now have to work on. We've not heard anything from Racing Santander yet about whether they want to keep him but we obviously have to look for a solution now and we'll be contacting them. We will talk to Xisco and Racing Santander and look at the options but if nothing is sorted out then he will return to us for pre-season.'' Xisco has three years remaining on his contract and Newcastle are keen to move him on even if it means allowing a £5.7m signing to depart for free. Hughton, who is not interested in freed WBA midfielder Robert Koren, is keen to ensure the dressing room spirit, which reached new highs during the title-winning campaign, is not disrupted by new faces, while admitting there will not be much cash to work with. One thing we've always tried to have is a good environment at the training ground, he said. As the season's gone on, the feelgood factor has come back, and that goes for everyone involved in the club. Things have changed in the game and there won't be the money to spend there has been previously. Looking at teams like Wolves and Birmingham, who spent wisely last season, gives us confidence. Hughton was speaking after being presented with a special award in recognition of his exceptional achievements this season by antiracism organisation, Kick It Out. The Newcastle boss will be the only black manager in the Premier League next season. He said: We still have an imbalance between those playing and those going into coaching, but it's important that anyone who gets there is there on merit. If me being the only black manager in the league can be a positive influence on anyone coming through, then great. Going back over the years, you rarely saw black faces in the boardroom. Although there's been an improvement, there's still room for more. For me, as someone who played in the 70s and 80s, seeing the racism around on the terraces then, things have improved dramatically, and Kick It Out has played a massive part in this. A lot of this is to do with cultural barriers as well, which are reflected in the changing room.