With news tonight that Rafa Benitez is after 22 year-old Spanish U21 full-back Jonny Otto, Rafa has reiterated Newcastle’s stance with top stars – including those who want to leave the club.
Rafa has told Sky Sports that Newcastle do not have any pressure on them to sell any more players as the world-class Spanish manager prepares Newcastle for the Championship next season.
Rafa Benitez with new signing Matt Ritchie on Friday
We did sell Andros Townsend to Crystal Palace but that was a special case, because he had a £13M release clause in his contract.
If he hadn’t had that put in his contract when we signed him from Spurs in January, there’s every chance we would have been able to keep hold of him – or else get around £20M for him.
In terms of recruitment Newcastle have already signed Matt Ritchie, Dwight Gayle and Matz Sels last week for around £25M – so we don’t seem to be too short of money.
And Newcastle did not lay off any non-playing staff when we were relegated in May.
This is what Rafa has told Sky Sports News HQ.:
“We knew we might lose players, especially Andros, because he had a great season and he wanted to play in the Premier League.”
“Then you have to react quickly and we were ready. The week before we had two or three signings ready.”
“I’m happy with the players that we have and we don’t have to sell anybody. Maybe some clubs will come in with transfer offers and we will have to analyze each one.”
“We know it will be very tough for us next season, we have to concentrate on a different division and the motivation has to be there. We have to be ready.”
Newcastle don’t have to sell, but if they get reasonable offers in for players Rafa thinks are expendable then he will sell, but he will make sure we have somebody lined up as a replacement before he sells.
That’s what he did when Townsend was sold, but that hasn’t always happened with Newcastle in the past.
Newcastle are now 2/1 favorites on SkyBet to win the Championship next season, the lowest odds for any club in the history of the Championship.
The above is a message to players like Gini Wijnaldum and Moussa Sissoko who may want to mimic Townsend’s actions and leave Newcastle.
The two of them will find it a lot harder to leave Newcastle than Andros did.
Comments welcome.
15 comments so far
nufc 11
Jul 5, 2016 at 12:15 AM
Comment #1If rafa wants a good lb he should look at Brady at Norwich good whole hearted player with excellent crossing ability. Shame to see Matty Phillips going to wba for 5million missed one there. Or maybe jeninkson? Still think Shane Duffy is worth looking at.
NUFCPaul
Jul 5, 2016 at 4:36 AM
Comment #2I’m guessing the likes of Sissoko and Janmaat have been called into Rafa’s office, along with their agents, and told that unless they receive a fixed bid relevant to each player, they’re going absolutely nowhere. It’s up to the agents to convince other clubs to shell out the big money to earn their cut and get their player out of the Toon. Failing that, their player is stuck with us in the Championship!
martoon
Jul 5, 2016 at 6:46 AM
Comment #3I’ll say it again “our promotion rivals are not going to sell us their best players” get real people.
NUFCPaul Sissoko is in France how can he possibly have been called into Rafa’s office?
hibbitt
Jul 5, 2016 at 7:01 AM
Comment #4we have a logjam of players sitting on very good long contracts till Rafa can start to move some of these players on we have to be patient
i am sure Rafa has the situation in hand and that we will start the season with the players he wants
cyprus
Jul 5, 2016 at 7:29 AM
Comment #5I’m guessing Sissoko will be off following an offer North of 20.
If the Iceland chant isn’t patented we should use it
G
Jul 5, 2016 at 7:37 AM
Comment #6Apparently Rafa is in talks with Neven Subotic from Dortmund, according to a friend anyway. Think this is pony myself, as last night he was supposedly set to talk to Arsenal, having turned down Mackems and Stoke. Would love to see it, but it aint gonna happen.
Jail for Ashley
Jul 5, 2016 at 7:43 AM
Comment #7hibbitt,
I couldn’t believe what I was reading when I found out SDJ was on a six year deal. That Marveaux had 15M in wages. I thought giving out five year deals would stop under Rafa but Ritchie and Gayle have been given them.
Jail for Ashley
Jul 5, 2016 at 7:47 AM
Comment #8Cyprus,
I can’t see anyone paying that, maybe the new TV deal makes it possible for the likes of Stoke or WBA to afford that but the clubs that could normally afford that he’s not good enough for. I pray WBA come up with something near to that as his only option.
Jib
Jul 5, 2016 at 7:59 AM
Comment #9Marveaux
39 games for the Toon in 5 years !
He played nearly as many just last season on loan to Guincamp !
Nice work if you can get it.
To be fair he did look the part at first.
It looks like the rumours at the time of Dalglish’s Liverpool medical staff knocking him back were true.
It looks as if hip injuries could have been a Toon blindspot.
Jail for Ashley
Jul 5, 2016 at 7:59 AM
Comment #10I’d like nothing better to be in the Gallowgate singing section with my giant flag needing a win against Sissokos WBA needing three points to move in to fourth as they are desperate to get any kind of point to edge them closer to that magic 40 point mark.
sing in the corner
Jul 5, 2016 at 8:06 AM
Comment #11All this new money sloshing about makes it all the more amazing that we picked up Richie for what is a comparatively a lowish fee, and that he came down a division. Looking forward to seeing him do his stuff. Now would love me to see a CB and a LB come in next. But I have confidence in Rafa to day things properly, so crack on big man!
sing in the corner
Jul 5, 2016 at 8:08 AM
Comment #12Die auto correct! Die!
martoon
Jul 5, 2016 at 8:14 AM
Comment #13Jail & Hibbitt – I think these long contracts are pretty standard these days because of the freedom of contract. Otherwise you could buy a player for £10m give him, say, a 2 year contract and after the 2 years he could leave for free. Of course this can backfire in cases like Marveaux!
Jail for Ashley
Jul 5, 2016 at 8:15 AM
Comment #14sitc,
I’ve lost the red underline function since getting the s6 so I’ve gone for the lesser of the two evils, I’ve cut out fat finger syndrome with this ans thst but auto spell words like Celta Vigo as Cellardyke Vigo and when adding an S to Sissoko’some thing. 🙁
Jail for Ashley
Jul 5, 2016 at 8:25 AM
Comment #15martoon,
Four years was pretty standard for a big fee player and then renegotiate after a year or two. We started giving out five year deals so that we could get two or three years out of them before selling or having to offer improved deals to stop their price going down. Another failed policy of the Ashley regime, we’d have been better offering standard contracts and offering improved terms with the money squandered on a lot of the players.