There was a good report in the Chronicle yesterday about what Rafa could do to generate funds for new players coming in over the summer.
Mike Ashley will give Rafa some direct funds (cool cash) to buy new players for next season, but he will also want Rafa to sell some players and then use those funds to bring in some of the new players he wants next season.
That makes a lot of sense, because Rafa will want another huge clear out of players as he once again, for the second summer running, raises the standards of the Newcastle squad.
Rafa Benitez – his ambition will show through this summer
And for some players who didn’t quite make the grade last season he may sell them.
Two of those players could be the two Anderlecht players we brought in two years ago – Aleksandar Mitrovic and Chancel Mbemba and both are very popular players on Tyneside.
We thought Chancel had a decent game on Friday night at Cardiff City and he does have something valuable as a center-back – speed.
And he can also play at right back, but Rafa hasn’t even tried him there this season.
Fans would not like it if Mitro is sold, although he hasn’t seemed to be able to knock those chances in this season when he’s had the opportunity, but he still has huge potential at only 22 years of age.
‘The news recently from the local journalists was that Rafa will keep him at the club next season.
We’ll see.
Other first team players who could go include Grant Hanley who has surprisingly never managed to nail down a first team starting place, but that’s because of the good form this season of both Ciaran Clark and Jamaal Lascelles.
And if Rafa is successful bringing in Sunderland’s fantastic young goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, which at best seems like a long shot at the moment, he would need to sell a couple of Newcastle’s goalkeepers.
The Chronicle mentions the impressive Karl Darlow as one who could go, but of course Tim Krul would also be sold if Jordan comes in, because Jordan would be the starter next season.
What we will see this summer is Rafa’s huge ambition in full view to build a team that can be challenging for a top four place in a couple of years.
We mean that – we’re sure that’s just exactly what Rafa wants to do – although he may never mention it in public.
He didn’t come to Newcastle to have a mid-table side that’s for sure.
🙂
Things are looking very bright indeed at Newcastle at the moment.
When is that meeting with Mike Ashley arranged for?
It looks like it will be after next Sunday’s final game, but we’d prefer it to be before that.
Then the fans will know everything’s OK before the wild and wonderful celebrations start on Sunday afternoon.
What’s Mike’s phone number again?
🙂
Howay The Lads!!
Comments welcome.
41 comments so far
lesh
May 2, 2017 at 2:46 PM
Comment #41There’s no chance of Rafa meeting and agreeing the way forward before Sunday’s match.
It’d be nice if he were to show his face but well, he’s a very busy man: He’s got SD to run, Parliamentary committees to play ping-pong with over his treatment of his employees, failing companies to buy then sack their staff, accountants and lawyers to meet before engaging in dubious business ventures and the small matter of HMRC. Then and if he gets a minute, he’ll need to have conversations with his placemen at Newcastle United – Carr and his SD secondee who’s supposedly assisting Charnley – to get a feel for the goings on at SJP before he can deal with Rafa and his ambitions. So let’s not build our hopes up for a quick and positive outcome from that meeting.
There is a possibility that securing the Championship on Sunday might make him feel that he wants to help and support Rafa to kick in and prepare for the Prem. Like all good stories, we’ll just have to wait and see.
What joy