Rodrigo became Leeds’ most expensive signing in their history when he arrived at Elland Road for a record £27m last August from Spanish side Valencia.
However, the Spaniard has struggled to live up to expectations since joining Leeds, although he has found the back of the net in Leeds’ last two Premier League outings, including the second in a 2-1 win away at Norwich City on Sunday.
But in his first seven top flight starts this season Rodrigo failed to open his account, resulting in him coming in for criticism from some sections of the fans, and former Leeds man Newsome feels that his price tag plays a huge role in terms of how his performances are judged.
Asked whether he thinks Rodrigo’s price tag hangs over him in terms of fans’ opinion of him, Newsome said on BBC Radio Leeds: “Yes, absolutely.
“You cannot shy away or hide away from the fact that you cost £28m.
“So, should it have a bearing on you as an individual?
“No, I do not think it should.”
Newsome stressed that Rodrigo should focus on putting in performances on the pitch and keep maintaining his standards, which will make the fans forget about his price tag.
“It should not really have that much of a bearing on you as an individual because that is just a figure that two the clubs have put on you, but it obviously does.
“And it is something that you carry around but put your performances in and play well enough and people will soon forget it.”
Having scored in consecutive league games, fans will be hoping Rodrigo will be able keep providing with fireworks up front as the season progresses.
