Rafa Benitez has brought the very best out of loan signing Kenedy this season, and the Brazilian has played exceptionally well for Newcastle during his loan spell since January.
But it could be difficult for Newcastle to attract Kenedy to Tyneside if Chelsea make him available this summer.
Rafa seems to think the best deal could be a loan deal for the season which is exactly what he tried to do last season.
If we had Kenedy on loan from last August Newcastle would have done a lot better during the first half of the season.
Kenedy with Rafa Benitez – last Saturday at home to West Brom
This is what Rafa has said about the young Brazilian who has settled quickly at Newcastle.
“It is too early with Kenedy] because Chelsea need to decide what they do in terms of a squad.”
“When they decide what that is, we will know.” “I am sure Kenedy is a player that they will consider.”
“But they have so many good players they may see him as an option for the boy to go on loan for another year.”
“Where could a good place for him be? Newcastle.”
“And for sure that could be a good chance for him and us.” “It was Kenedy’s last game at home (last Saturday) and he has been doing well for us.
“He is a player that is happy and has been able to give us the pieces of quality that we were looking for.”
The Mail are reporting that Chelsea are willing to sell Kenedy this summer to raise funds for new signings.
But it seems the fee will be north of £20M which and that would be a record transfer fee for Newcastle.
If he does become available, it will be interesting to see if owner Mike Ashley would back Rafa in bringing the 22-year-old permanently to Newcastle.
Maybe Rafa could get Kenedy back for a season-long loan deal on Tyneside but this time with an option to buy next summer?
Comments welcome.
194 comments so far
jane
May 2, 2018 at 11:50 PM
Comment #161at the end of the day they both want the same things largely.
jane
May 2, 2018 at 11:53 PM
Comment #162“Time will reveal the naivety/innocence of some posters.”
Jail
jane
May 2, 2018 at 11:54 PM
Comment #163ta da good night
RobLeenio
May 2, 2018 at 11:55 PM
Comment #164jane, they both want to avoid the same thing – relegation. What they each want to achieve is a different matter and could potentially be poles apart. The evidence we have seen so far suggests this is true.
Nicky the ball tosser
May 2, 2018 at 11:56 PM
Comment #165Yeah, people think they fiddle the books. I think it costs a lot to run the club, and that the profits have often been withheld, but do get spent on players eventually. Obviously Rafa won’t tolerate any of that from now on. He’ll want the full whack, when he needs it.
Nicky the ball tosser
May 3, 2018 at 12:00 AM
Comment #166“fiddle the books”, mmm, maybe better to say, mislead the manager.
magscar
May 3, 2018 at 12:04 AM
Comment #167Mister Tuff
I have been posting a lot today about the possibility of Rafa and Ashley both being here until the last few hours no one else had. So a reference to a possible deal to tie Ashley like I hog to a spit ….. without any reference to a poster so not unexpectedly I assume you are directing your comment at me. I have drawn your attention previously to the fact that making a spiky reference to comment(s) without attributing the source will undoubtedly lead to someone guessing (incorrectly or otherwise) that they are the target. Not too difficult is it?
Now as you were paraphrasing a particular suggestion you had read would it be impertinent to ask who might have made it? Come on share it with us so we can all get the peculiar humour of it or has the moment passed?
Mister Tuff
May 3, 2018 at 12:14 AM
Comment #168The question for me is can Rafa get some sort of irrevocable commitment from Mr Tubbs about how much can be spent on new players. Clearly even bird brains know that areas like this will not be subject of any legal paper work.
Could he get Tubbs to make some sort of public statement??? I don’t know.
Thing is Rafa fell for the every last penny scam a couple of year back – he’ll not be caught out again surely.
Ian Wright was on the telly last weekend ridiculing the suggestion that the new manager at Arsenal will have £50 million to get the team back where it should be.
To get up the league means big money. A middling never win anything side would obviously require lesser monies -all down to how ambitious everyone is.
magscar
May 3, 2018 at 12:15 AM
Comment #169Jail@151
They don’t matter to me either – how did you know?
Mister Tuff
May 3, 2018 at 12:18 AM
Comment #170Magcar – a general comment is a general comment. Not everything posted on here is about you. You need to chill and get your hot cocoa and retire instead of trying to fight old battles (again).
magscar
May 3, 2018 at 12:34 AM
Comment #171Mister Tuff
Old battles? you made the comment an hour or so ago and are now dodging the issue. Whose specific (not general) comment which you paraphrased did you mean if not one of mine.
If you cant tell me then I suppose I will have to assume you did have me in mind. Not that it matters nothing I can’t swat away, been dealing with better than you can muster all day 😉
I am quite chilled and cocoa would just have me on loo all night but thanks for the concern 🙂
Mister Tuff
May 3, 2018 at 12:50 AM
Comment #172Magscar – nothing to dodge – you are clearly paranoid in thinking what I post is about you.
First you insult my post construction and now make references to “better than you” – give it a rest man – my posts had nothing to do with you – I’ve told you before I do not read your blog offerings – I just skip past them. So I really don’t know what your current thoughts are.
lesh
May 3, 2018 at 12:57 AM
Comment #173Magscar
Cheers for the ackno’s.
Yes, I was referring to Rafa in the context of the treatment he and no doubt many others receive from Ashley. As you and others know, psychopaths and sociopaths have no regard for the emotional needs and feelings of human beings.
Rafa’s been and appears to be being treated with no respect or recognition of his football expertise and there’s only so much he’ll be prepared to take, no matter how much he feels wanted by the fans.
I’ll say it again – I hope I’m wrong and that Ashley has experienced a Damascene awakening.
lesh
May 3, 2018 at 1:03 AM
Comment #174One last thought
If Rafa feels the need to pin Ashley down with contracted commitments to financial support, it suggests to me that Rafa has no faith or trust in his employer. That’s not what one would call a healthy relationship.
magscar
May 3, 2018 at 1:04 AM
Comment #175Mister Tuff
No paranoia. Even if it was still wouldn’t mean you hadn’t been having a dig at me 🙂
It was a simple deduction given the circumstances I initially explained which you have done nothing to dislodge. Perhaps if you took my well intended advice and referenced a suggestion to the poster whom had made it any unintended confusion could be avoided. Why is that such an imposition for you.
Night and I would be only too happy to leave the past behind and in fact thought I had until you inadvertently ( to take your word for it) stirred me
Mister Tuff
May 3, 2018 at 1:16 AM
Comment #176Magscar – no confusion from me – the confusion is yours’. I do think you are being paranoid in thinking I was making reference to you.
I do believe that historically paranoia was treated with electric shock therapy, which went out of fashion at the turn of the millenium (but apparently is making a comeback). In the absence of any such electrical apparatus I would be prepared to hook you up to my electric welder. A quick burst of 200 amps should sort you out.
magscar
May 3, 2018 at 1:16 AM
Comment #177Lesh
I don’t put forward my views to be controversial but simply put my reading of the possibilities. Tuff has referenced the nature of the beast in his analogy Ashley a scorpion and I have Rafa a tiger !?
Who wins that match. Seriously there are probably several working relationships which operate on a less than trusting basis. Not a great way to be but if that is what works so be it.
Interestingly Robleenio suggests Ashley doesn’t regard Rafa as one of the boys and needs to control him. Again not healthy and possibly accurate but if they find a mutually convenient and effective way for the relationship to work then it is what it is.
If as I hope a working relationship does emerge enshrined in legal agreements then certainly not the best we could have but something to build on season on season .
Anyway been a long day so night
magscar
May 3, 2018 at 1:18 AM
Comment #178Mister Tuff
Ha ha you should stop giving yourself bursts it is playing havoc with your memory and sensibilities.
Night again
DubaiMicky
May 3, 2018 at 5:15 AM
Comment #179Full minutes of the fans forum. Apologies if it’s been posted before
https://www.nufc.co.uk/media/37051/fans-forum-minutes-250418.pdf
DubaiMicky
May 3, 2018 at 5:29 AM
Comment #180Or you can have the alternative minutes:-
Chris Holr on what the minutes really tell us…
The club brought the meeting to order by first stating for the avoidance of doubt that nobody in the room has any power whatsoever. The owner’s people on the ground are Keith (Harold) Bishop and Justin Barnes. Neither of whom would ever see fit to show any public responsibility or take on an official title. Every decision for Newcastle United is made at Sports Direct Head office in Shirebrook. The people in the room have been appointed as caretakers only and rarely speak to Mike Ashley themselves.
The club apologised for delays in the regularity of Fans Forum meetings but didn’t justify that in any way.
There was concern that the club could be seen as not being committed to the Fans Forum process.
The club accepted that view but argued the opposite, despite the evidence and their prior apology not a moment earlier for having not had a forum in 10 months. Like it or lump it.
It was stated that Arsenal run Fans Forums on match days and asked whether this would be possible.
The club advised that several members of the management team would be operational on match days. There have been so many redundancies at the club that all the staff are run ragged, performing multiple roles. There’s no way Ashley will employ an adequate number of people to provide a genuine supporter forum like other clubs.
Can the club commit to dates for future meetings? It would send out a positive message about the club’s commitment to the Fans Forum.
The club agreed and has proposed dates for future Fans Forums should be after the transfer windows close, after season ticket renewals close, and after the season ends, so any concerns that are brought to the forum will be too late to act on.
Ticketing Update
Let’s concentrate on what’s gone well with ticketing and ignore the fact we refuse to follow the example of almost every other club by actually publishing ticket categories and prices for the entire season annually, rather than game by game.
Safe standing
The club pledged to share the public petition for a commons debate on Safe Standing via social media on the following day. This was published on the club’s Twitter and Facebook accounts on Thursday 26th April 2018. It was quickly followed by a note that the club doesn’t necessarily support safe standing.
When will the club’s next set of accounts be published?
The club explained that a date has not yet been set for publication but that the next set of accounts would detail the considerable financial impact of the club’s relegation to the Championship for the 2016/17 season.
Mike Ashley repeatedly changes the accounting periods of his businesses to avoid publishing their accounts in a timely manner and keep them shrouded in mystery and the accounts are currently showing as “overdue” at the companies house website.
Stadium expansion
The club’s comments from two consecutive Fans Forums in 2014 were highlighted, which indicated that extending the Gallowgate would not make sense commercially and that its view was likely to remain unchanged in the short and medium term and potentially the long term.
But that’s not why the club don’t expand. Mike Ashley is developing the land behind the Gallowgate end as a personal business venture having bought the land from Newcastle United in 2009. Everyone knows that the financial rewards of a large stadium are further dwarfed by TV revenues every three years. As that continues there will only be less financial incentive to expand, yet clubs continue to do it. Tottenham and Everton will soon push Newcastle into 9th place for Stadium size.
Why? A Premier League stadium is a status symbol, it’s about accommodating all your fans and assuring the widest possible support for the future, not necessarily making money. But these aims, which top clubs prioritise, cannot take precedence at Newcastle over Mike Ashley’s personal business interests.
Fixture scheduling
The club has no appetite for challenging the Premier league or broadcasters on their criteria for selecting games or refusing a change after a deadline.
Manager and transfers
The club haven’t been able to convince Rafa his ambition can be met at Newcastle as yet, so he’s not signed a contract as yet.
The club discussed, in addition to transfer fees, that there are often significant costs such as its wage bill and agents fees that are not factored in or referred to, as if other clubs don’t have those factors to consider while outspending NUFC.
The club stated they made offers to buy players in January prior to acquiring players on loan. Maybe the effort should be applauded rather than the failure criticised.
Remember the state of-the-art crowd-facing LED system that was installed 4 years ago at great expense? Just be grateful for that! Ignore that it’s purported purpose of increasing commercial income is negated by it’s use to advertise Sports Direct for Free
Is the club for sale?
The club stated that the position has not changed and if or when there is anything to update, the club would do so.
Here’s the statement Derek Llambias made in 2011, which still stands:
“If I can draw an analogy: My house is not for sale. In fact you could offer me twice what it is worth and it would still not be for sale because it has a personal value to me right now that is greater than twice the price. But if someone knocks on my door with a truly extraordinary figure, a sum which I had never imagined would be offered, then there comes a time when I have to seriously consider it.”
You can follow the author on Twitter @bigchrisholt
lesh
May 3, 2018 at 7:00 AM
Comment #181Dubai @179
The alternative minutes to the FF make me wonder just how anyone could be so cynical – and not far off the reality.
The formal minutes as issued include a number of non answers to questions and they suggest that they weren’t even challenged by delegates.
Are the club’s minutes a true reflection of what actually happened or a true reflection of what might have happened?
I wonder if any FF delegates dare comment about the tone and content of that meeting.
DubaiMicky
May 3, 2018 at 7:12 AM
Comment #182I think the alternative ones are the “This is the way it is” scrubbed of all the PR spin that Bishop/Barnes can manage.
Jail for Ashley
May 3, 2018 at 7:30 AM
Comment #183Did Dirk Llambias really say that?
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 7:48 AM
Comment #184For what they’re worth – minimum info
RobLeenio
May 3, 2018 at 8:09 AM
Comment #185Thanks Micky, very interesting take on matters.
I wonder if journos like Chris Holt have tried to get hold of one or two members of the forum? It seems really strange that in all the time it’s been running, we haven’t seen any kind of interview with any of them, even an informal chatty PR piece on .co.uk
Makes me think they have been forced to sign an NDA of some description.
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 8:24 AM
Comment #186RobLeenio
There is an agreement that NUFC has first
dibs on publishing the minutes.
That’s why Newcastle United Supporters Trust
got slung off the forum – for pre-empting the club
sing in the corner
May 3, 2018 at 8:25 AM
Comment #187Yeah that is a sobering piece shared by DM..
Now that PL status is secured and the team seem to be chilling out ready for holidays, it’s the annual waiting game and spin battle.
Personally I can’t help feeling that Ashley hasn’t changed. Its wistful, given the history of his tenure, to just keep thinking ‘he might…’
Such thinking is exactly what Ashley is banking on.
And Ashley, coming across as he does as a vengeful narcissist, psychopath / sociopath he is always going to be tempted to keep striking at the fans if he gets the chance, even if he gets a little pain from doing so.
This worries me when he is being edged towards a corner..
RobLeenio
May 3, 2018 at 8:34 AM
Comment #188Thanks Jib, good to know
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 8:46 AM
Comment #189The discussion over the last couple of days
has been pretty amicable and very thought provoking.
An idea that jumped into my head this morning
was this.
The device that turned Ashley into a billionaire was a
share issue on his baby – SD.
Most German clubs and the 2 Spanish giants RM and Barca
are owned by their fans
In Madrid they are called Socios in Barcelona Socis
Barcelona actually has 4 classes of member but there
are 170,000 if the actual share owning Socis.
Surely it must have entered Ashley’s skull (given his
experience with SD) to at least research an NUFC flotation.
Nicky the ball tosser
May 3, 2018 at 8:49 AM
Comment #190How must goose that Gini Wijnaldum feeling? What a sap ay. Champions League final against Christiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid, pffft. It’s too late to come crawling back now, with your tail between your legs, young man. No sir!
Ron Knee
May 3, 2018 at 8:51 AM
Comment #191Our owner:
Mike Ashley has resurrected the controversy over working conditions at his company’s Shirebrook warehouse by filing a complaint against the former MP who led the parliamentary inquiry into the retailer.
The company has complained to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards about the conduct of Iain Wright, the former Labour MP for Hartlepool, who chaired the business, innovation and skills select committee during the last parliament.
The 2016 inquiry into working practices at the firm was launched after a Guardian undercover investigation exposed how the company was paying staff less than the legal minimum wage.
The MPs concluded that Ashley had been running Sports Direct like a “Victorian workhouse”, building his success on a business model that treats workers “without dignity or respect”.
Wright, a former accountant who now works for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, added: “I’m more than happy that he is flagging up what I think was a really good piece of work. My colleagues, who were cross party, worked well together to highlight a list of appalling practices. This is obviously still eating him up and he can’t let it go”.
Nicky the ball tosser
May 3, 2018 at 8:53 AM
Comment #192Mmmmm, that’s some really ordinary syntax right there.
RobLeenio
May 3, 2018 at 8:54 AM
Comment #193You’re right, Nicky – that ship has sailed, no room at this Inn for the likes of him. You tell him!
No malice borne towards Gini. He was always too talented to play in the Champo, no matter how much he frustrated us at times when he didn’t show it. At least he went with dignity and respect, no “come and get me please” comments in the media unlike some of his peers at the time. It was good to see him run straight to Klopp when he scored his goal, the bin dippers have skill and unity in their squad.
Nicky the ball tosser
May 3, 2018 at 8:58 AM
Comment #194Yeah, he can cry into his milk with that other no account ne’er do well, James Milner.