Sunday 22 July 2018

Mike Ashley to give Rafa Benitez £100m in transfer funds if he signs a new deal

Unknown July 22, 2018 FOOTBALL, SOCCER, SPORTS

Mike Ashley is set to offer Rafa Benitez a £100 million ‘war chest’ if the Spaniard agrees to sign a new deal this summer, according to The Sun.

Standoff

It is no secret that Newcastle chairman Mike Ashley isn’t exactly the most generous when it comes to putting money into the club.

This has put Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez in a somewhat awkward position.

Benitez worked miracles with Newcastle lasts season, guiding them to a 10^th place finish with little to no transfer funds.

However, this summer Benitez was seemingly hoping for a bit more of a cash injection.

Ashley, on the other hand, appears to have told Benitez that he is currently only able to buy players when he sells one of his own.

The other alternative to this looks to be that Ashley wants Benitez to sign a new contract and then funds will be released.

Given Ashley’s track record Benitez is sceptical of this and as a result, the duo are in a standoff.

But now Ashley does seem to be trying to sweeten the deal with a £100m ‘war chest’.

However, this £100m would be spread over three years which means it really isn’t that much for a Premier League side to spend.

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – MAY 07: Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez celebrates after winning the Sky Bet Championship Title after the match between Newcastle United and Barnsley at St James’ Park on May 7, 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

A super season

When Newcastle United won promotion to the Premier League in 2016/17, many people believed they would struggle to stay up due to the lack of money spent on their squad.

On the surface, Newcastle do not exactly seem blessed with top Premier League talents. However, Rafa Benitez was able to guide what is quite an average Newcastle side to a 10^th place finish in the Premier League.

A big part of why Newcastle were able to finish so high in the table was due to the performances of club captain Jamal Lascelles and a few other key players.

Now, however, given Newcastle finished in an impressive 10^th place last season, they will need to bring in a few fresh faces in order to improve on their 2017/18 season but unless Benitez signs a new contract with Newcastle, it does not look as though the North East club will be signing anybody else this summer.