There was a hint of this yesterday in the Chronicle, that Rafa Benitez would like to keep the majority of the current squad if he decides to manage the club next season in the Championship.
And there may be some financial problems with being able to do that, since our revenues will be much lower next season in the Championship then they have been over the previous three seasons in the Premier League.
Generally wages have to be cut and non-playing staff laid off in order to trim the day-to-day costs of the club – that’s business plain and simple.
Rafa Benitez at the end of the game yesterday
Rafa was asked by the Chronicle if top players like Moussa Sissoko, Gini Wijnaldum and Daryl Janmaat would be sold in the summer.
This is how the former Liverpool manager answered that:
“At the moment I can say nothing because we are still talking. But the idea is that the majority of the players they would stay. It depends.”
“Maybe we will receive a massive offer for a player we have to consider, but the players know at the moment they have to stay. Then the club will decide little by little on each individual.”
“When I decided to come it was because of the talent of the players and the potential of the club.”
“Since I have come to the club there are a lot of people helping me to do the job. The staff and the players and everybody at every level has tried.”
“The players have trained and worked really hard. I have seen the potential and I can confirm what I thought was true, the potential and possibilities of the club are here.”
“That is why I am considering staying even in the Championship, because everything seems quite positive.” “We have to improve for sure and have to cut out the mistakes but potential is there.”
“We have to be realistic. The main thing will be to have a strong team for next season, but we have to keep an eye on everything.”
“We have to try to organize things and guarantee you can grow every year.” “The competition in the Premier League is massive because of the TV money.”
“People also know that in the Championship clubs will spend money to get up as soon as possible. “Everything has to be in place and done in the right way to improve.”
With the players signed this season, the wage bill has also increased dramatically.
For example Jonjo Shelvey and Andros Townsend are said to be on close to £80K/week – about £4M a year each in wages.
The financial controls in the Championship are more strict than in the Premier League so we cannot go into huge losses next season.
Without knowing exactly what Newcastle’s financial position is and what the total expected revenues are for next season, it’s hard to say how difficult this would be for Newcastle – to keep a lot of our highly paid players at the club.
One advantage is the strong financial position Newcastle have been in over the last the last few years with us being the 17th richest club in the world for the last financial year through June 30th last year, with revenues of around £129M.
The wage bill can be reduced quite a bit by getting these fringe players off the wage bill somehow:
- Sylvain Marveaux and Gabby Obertan have already left the club
- Steven Taylor and Sammy Ameobi have contracts that will not be renewed
- Fabricio Coloccini, Emmanuel Riviere and Yoan Gouffran could be sent out on loan or sold
- Seydou Doumbia will return to Roma after his failed loan spell
- Remy Cabella will join Marseille for around £6.3M (€8M)
- Florian Thauvin and Henri Saivet could be sold and wouldn’t be missed
There’s 11 players we could lose and save on their wages and they wouldn’t be missed too much.
So because Newcastle have so much dead wood, maybe the wage bill can be cut quite a bit by getting rid of a lot of the fringe players that Rafa simply hasn’t used and is unlikely to need next season.
It could be possible, but it needs whoever the financial brains are at Newcastle to get busy with those green shades.
We see what Rafa is trying to do – he has already had a huge impact on most of our players and he wants to keep most of them.
He has Moussa Sissoko playing great – also Andros Townsend playing near his very best form – and he wants to keep this team together as much as possible for next season, assuming it’s only one season down below.
The other problem he may have is whether some of our top Internationals – like those who think they should be playing for a club in the Champions League every season – will want to play in England’s second division and put their International careers at risk?
Some will not – and we should not forget that one of the very best things we did seven years ago was to let those players leave who didn’t want to stay and fight.
By that means we only had players in the squad committed to getting Newcastle straight back up – and that’s what happened.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
63 comments so far
Essex Geordie Bill
May 16, 2016 at 8:26 PM
Comment #41Pity we’ve lost Marveux, he’d have been a real star in the Championship.
Ron Knee
May 16, 2016 at 8:28 PM
Comment #42EGB
We’ve still got Thauvin!
banjax
May 16, 2016 at 8:33 PM
Comment #43The turmoil that relegation causes doesn’t mean that Ashley has to rush to stump up the cash because the first and most important thing is the agreement between Benitez and Ashley. Next is which players Benitez can keep because their will be a few that will not stay even for Benitez. Next is our end of season bonus which will add say £90m to the kitty as well as parachute money added to the sales of unwanted players at the club, should give a decent level of funding for the championship. It will only take a big offer for say Winaldum to add a pile of cash to the fighting fund. So I don’t think Ed’s worries are founded.
Essex Geordie Bill
May 16, 2016 at 8:45 PM
Comment #44Ron Knee
Things are just looking better and better.
Essex Geordie Bill
May 16, 2016 at 8:47 PM
Comment #45Especially if Big Mike chucks half a billion into the pot.
Ron Knee
May 16, 2016 at 8:47 PM
Comment #46That’s NUFC for you!
Bobbybee
May 16, 2016 at 8:54 PM
Comment #47Rafa knows the business side as well. He knows some players have to go and he even hints at it. With his use of the word some. Anyway, not here for that. Play offs with brighton v wednesday. What a cracking first half. Knockeart running Weds ragged. Very good player, wouldn’t be averse to him coming here. Dunk scored again, from a knockeart free kick. Weds equalised with a blantantly wrong goal. Should never have stood. Ball came in, dunk goes to head it clear and gets pushed. Deceives the keeper, drops in the far post. Shocking decision and so blatantly obvious.
Anyway, back to it. Cracking game. Later.
GeordieTwo
May 16, 2016 at 8:59 PM
Comment #48I just want to thank you all for attending this seasons Blogger Ratings. A very exciting time of year for obvious reasons. So let’s get on with it then. In no obvious order here are the rankings:
Ron Knee: deep, thoughtful comments. A wry wit and some cagey backtracking when necessary. Knows his footy but doesn’t flaunt it. Very good season Ron. Keep it up mate. 7.5/10
Tsunki: has gotten even more cagey with his advancing years. Lays low and then springs out and really lets us have it with both barrels. Good to have by your side in a scrap. Except when he uses the old cheese cutter that is. Another excellent season Tsunki. 8/10
Jesper: Hmmmmm. Poor attendance. Very poor in fact. I’m just looking over some of the last few weeks. Hmmmm. It’s gotten even more sketchy. VERY DISAPPOINTING jesper. Sad to do this but 4/10.
BandB: Cogent, concise, clever in her arguments. Sneaks up on you with the cosh and then lets you have it when you deserve it. No nonsense. 8/10
Ibiza: Hmmmm. Very interesting season. Started slow but then built up to some tremendous postings. A wry, wrinkly wit with some absolute pearls in there. Glad to hear the sand flea bites are healing nicely Ibiza. This is the complete (if somewhat itchy) package people. Well done Ibiza. 8.5/10
Lilongwe: very knowledgeable in footy matters. Low key but much respected. Gives us a wide perspective. Very serious approach (much like yours truly). Have to give this lad his due. Excellent season Lilongwe. 8.5/10
To be continued (he said ominously). Have to put me groceries away now.
goommy
May 16, 2016 at 9:06 PM
Comment #49According to his words. I think Rafa open to stay but he need full control of the squad. It’s quite easy to understand that if Ashley want him to stay he have to pay and invest for the club future. Why not?
GeordieTwo
May 16, 2016 at 9:14 PM
Comment #50Got the groceries done. Back to work:
Mr. Tuff: another strong season. Gets very intense in a no nonsense way. Has strong opinions and leaves no doubt as to where he stands. Brings out strong comments from the other bloggers. Needs to use more links to strengthen his arguments. 7.5/10
Essex Geordie Bill: Punchy. Tight. Concise. Gets to the point and really sharpens it up. Good work Essex mate. 7.5/10
jimmysmith: can be a bit gnarly at times but a good sense of humour and comes back fighting. Pound for pound can take care of himself in exchanges with some of our heavy hitters. 7/10. More comments please. Your ratings depend on it jimmy mate.
YouCouldn’tMakeItUp: Pithy, slippery when wet, a bit over the top. Difficult to pin down. Pops out and makes his pointiest point and then disappears. Reminds me a lot of Markaccus. Well done this season YCMIU. 8/10. Back later. Have to water the old onion patch.
GeordieTwo
May 16, 2016 at 9:19 PM
Comment #51No beermonkey. I haven’t forgotten your rating mate. Nag, nag, nag. What’s that beermonkey? No that wasn’t directed at you.
beermonkey: short to the point postings. Excellent work in the wheeled bobsled tournaments. Gets things done. Sad about being kidnapped and used as a sex slave in Wales but seems to have recovered well. Needs to keep up his fitness for the upcoming White Water Canoeing. Well done this season beermonkey. 8/10.
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
May 16, 2016 at 9:49 PM
Comment #52So I’m assuming that when these talks break down (and they will break down) and Rafa walks away from the club, that’s when you’ll all truly be up in arms. Yes?
Answers on the back of a stamp please.
jimmysmith
May 16, 2016 at 9:49 PM
Comment #53You sense all of those 11, and one of Elliot and Krul, could be trimmed, and by promoting 4 or 5 under 21’s we’d have enough bodies. We seem to have carried too many numbers in recent years. The problem more being light in quality in a two or three positions, which would be far less a problem in the Championship.
I’d try to keep the stars if I were Benitez. They would play very well in a dominant side, and certainly would do similar in the EPL under Benitez, given he would have them from beginning to end.
We have a decent core group of players. I suppose being relegated makes many think we don’t, but I doubt Benitez thinks so.
Even Collocini is still more than capable of doing a very good job for us in the Championship, in a swan song season, although the tipping point with him would be his salary, which they might too much to carry. But he would be useful, and then his contract is up, freeing up a squad place at hopefully just the right time.
Similarly with Tiote and Cisse. But if you do replace these players now, you are stuck with their replacements once we are back, and its doubtful we’d want them then. I’d keep all three, if it were viable.
some
welshgeordie9
May 16, 2016 at 9:53 PM
Comment #54Ruddy Marveaux-lous
What makes you think he’s going to say no, bit of negative attitude there.
Jib
May 16, 2016 at 9:53 PM
Comment #55Ruddy Marveaux-lous // May 16, 2016 at 9:49 PM
Answers on the back of a stamp please
Just after my dissertation
Jib
May 16, 2016 at 9:55 PM
Comment #56http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11678/10285114/jamie-carragher-rafael-benitez-can-turn-newcastle-united-into-a-force
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
May 16, 2016 at 9:57 PM
Comment #57Jib
A) Not a student and B) What’s wrong with students?
Welsh
He’s won multiple top tier titles, as well as multiple European trophies including the Champions League. He’s not staying.
welshgeordie9
May 16, 2016 at 10:01 PM
Comment #58Ruddy Marveaux-lous
Anything can happen, look at Leicester this season, no one would of thought of them winning the league.
jimmysmith
May 16, 2016 at 10:04 PM
Comment #59Benitez may well simply be extending the club and the fans the courtesy of talking, of course. Or perhaps, be torn between heart and head, and choose to go. We all know that.
If he does go, I’d be fully in support of Ashley Out. Not because I think Ashley is a wrong un, but simply because he’s had every chance to succeed over 9 long and quite tortured years, and failed almost entirely, considering our size.
Enough would be enough.
wolfshead@toon
May 16, 2016 at 10:09 PM
Comment #60this is dragging on too long fatty must be sweating buckets trying to work out how to back out whilst trying to make it look like benitez is being unreasonable
Ruddy Marveaux-lous
May 16, 2016 at 10:11 PM
Comment #61That’s the downside to Leicester winning the league, despite getting relegated we have even further cause for delusions of grandeur.
Let’s accept our mediocrity for the time being, reconcile that we’re simply a big regional club and are rapidly being overtaken by the likes of West Ham, Southampton, and even the likes of Everton.
Yes we’ve a loyal fan base and a big stadium but in less than 10 years nearly every PL team will have bigger/similar sized stadiums to us.
We just aren’t that special anymore. Too many other clubs have a lot more to offer – to Rafa and to umpteen other managers whom we think might be on our “target” list.
Harsh, but true in my view.
jimmysmith
May 16, 2016 at 10:17 PM
Comment #62Not so. Under a quality manager, and with the right backing and administration, Newcastle can be a major force in England and Europe. Benitez will know this, and this is why he might stay.
BandB
May 16, 2016 at 10:22 PM
Comment #63I think Bishop would offer up something like this.
“If Mr Benitez had succeeded in keeping us in the Premiership, which was his target, then OF COURSE we would have backed him. Only to happy to. To the hilt.
But he didn’t, and sadly, because of that it would be simply impossible and irresponsible to meet the kinds of demands that are being made.”
I predict this would be gratefully seized upon as “Fair-do’s, Mike. You did your best!”