Rafa is not being told much about the upcoming transfer window and how much money is available and who he can sign.
It appears that Rafa wants to sign a few older players and one of them is on-loan striker Salomon Rondon who will turn 30 in September.
He has 10 goals for us this season and has looked one of Newcastle’s best players this season, and he loves it on Tyneside.
But Mike Ashley is notorious for wanting to sign players under 26, so he thinks he will be able to make a profit on them when they are eventually sold.
That’s the level that Mike Ashley thinks about Newcastle – how to make money on players.
He doesn’t think about keeping the outstanding players to make an outstanding team.
Salomon will cost £16.5M if West Brom aren’t promoted and more if they are.
This is what Jamie Carragher has said on Sky Sports as reported in the Chronicle:
“They have to get the signature done: Rondon in the summer.”
“I know Mike Ashley doesn’t like spending money on players of his age but he’s made a huge difference to Newcastle this season.”
“It’s a deal that has to be made.”
And this is what Rafa has said about Rondon who looks just perfect for this current Newcastle side:
“The kind of striker we were looking for was like him.”
“Someone who was strong, sometimes can hold the ball up, flick it on and can run with the defenders.”
“He was doing a great job for us. Even when he’s tired he goes to the right positions to let the midfielders go and press.”
“He’s an important player for us.”
It’s very likely that one of the answers Rafa is waiting to hear from the owner is whether he will sign Rondon in the summer for up to £20M.
If the answer is no – that would not be well received by Rafa Benitez.
Mike Ashley has gone quiet over the last several weeks as he tried to buy Debenhams, but that proved unsuccessful.
We wonder if he even has much interest in Newcastle these days.
It’s a dangerous situation for the club’s future at the moment as fans are hoping we can keep Rafa at Newcastle.
Comments welcome.
78 comments so far
Jib
Apr 15, 2019 at 10:25 AM
Comment #1Some conflict there methinks
Does he set hard and fast rules about age limits
or
Does he even have much interest in Newcastle these days.
Ron Knee
Apr 15, 2019 at 10:29 AM
Comment #2From the Grauniad:
Rodgers taught tactical lesson by Newcastle’s old master
There would be complications, admittedly, but Manchester United and Everton are two of the teams currently above Newcastle who would be better off with Rafael Benítez as their manager. Another is Leicester, whose recently arrived boss Brendan Rodgers was schooled by Benítez on Friday night. Rodgers said he learned a lot from watching his side fail to pick a way through a team who defended deeply and smartly – an experience with which his predecessor, Claude Puel, was familiar. One obvious lesson is that Leicester could do with a different type of striker for when Jamie Vardy is neutralised, and Kelechi Iheanacho is not the answer. If Mike Ashley is not careful Newcastle could lose Ayoze Pérez as well as Benítez this summer, and some other club will pay the £16.5m needed to sign Salomón Rondón permanently from West Brom. Paul Doyle
one fine day
Apr 15, 2019 at 10:50 AM
Comment #3Seems to be very much a house of cards up on the hill right now .
So much good work done by Rafa since he got here but it could all be undone if he is allowed to walk away .
If we are safe mathematically and nothing announced by then I think no better match to show the watching world our feelings than the Liverpool game .
#ifrafagoeswego
one fine day
Apr 15, 2019 at 10:57 AM
Comment #4And on previous stream .
Is it me or is lascalles becoming the perfect captain for Ashley’s club ?
Seems content with survival each season and sees 10th as an achievement ( don’t get me wrong with this squad it really is) but saying you don’t need to spend money bla bla …
Had we not had the boost of pace from our new lad in January that has turned us around we could be in cardiff’s shoes very easily .
Jail for Ashley
Apr 15, 2019 at 10:58 AM
Comment #5There’s going to be around 6K of us at Craven Cottage in May, I hope it’s not his last game in charge. I don’t think the contract will he sorted before the end of the season so we won’t even be able to give the guy a proper send off. Hopefully Rafa will let’s us know.
Essex Geordie Bill
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:00 AM
Comment #6A highly unlikely scenario I know, but if Ashlie said to Rafa here’s 100m go and buy either Salah or Hazard what would be peoples choice?
Jail for Ashley
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:01 AM
Comment #7ofd,
He won’t be the perfect captain until he stops doing interviews and takes every January off.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:03 AM
Comment #8EGB,
Do you mean Jo Sala and Dean Hazard?
one fine day
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:06 AM
Comment #9JFA
Are you referring to San lorenzos favourite son and charnleys favourite dinner date ?
one fine day
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:07 AM
Comment #10Egb
Under Ashley we have more chance of getting the Dukes of hazard
G
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:08 AM
Comment #11EGB. I would rather he went out and bought 2 30M players and a striker worth 40M. I like your thinking though.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:21 AM
Comment #12ofd,
The very same
bettyswallocks
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:21 AM
Comment #13A big Thank You to the piously self assured and smugly moralistic “The next Mike Williamson ” for haughtily pointing out that my exchanges with the multi-faceted Jib and his gang might cause offence to the LGBT community.
In forgetting to mention that Jib and his cohorts are not averse to hurling the odd insult, posting under a fellow bloggers name and dishing out their fair share of provocative and offensive material , TNMW is sententiously guilty of advocating such self righteous political correctness with his pharsaical tartuffian comments that are the root cause of many of today’s social tensions and problems of mutual tolerance in society.
I must also thank Munster Mag for weighing in to endorse TNMW’s comments in his inimitable, benighted and insensately deficient manner.
From someone who doesn’t know whether to bounce, kick or run with a football, he is in no position to refer to fellow bloggers as half wits.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:25 AM
Comment #14Survival is 99.9% nailed on. If they sort the contract out this week the atmosphere against Soton will be electric and guarantee the win that keeps us 100% safe. If he’s not signed up this week it’s not happening and Mikey is just hopi g he will walk quietly away.
Tsunki
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:28 AM
Comment #15Oh dear, looks like Lascelles has risen from his Italian Restaurant comments about Ashley being a good bloke and all round err…. Well, all round I suppose will do – to now saying Benitez doesn’t need any money because we don’t need players to be worthy of treading water with the bang average middle class of the PL. Music to Mike’s ears. Free Gnocchi, peroni and a garlic bread was all it took was it Jamaal? Oh the shame. 🙂
Jib
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:28 AM
Comment #16pharisaical – you mug
do at least try to plagiarise correctly
Tsunki
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:32 AM
Comment #17I wonder if the mackems were still in our league (not that they ever were) would Jamaal be taking back-twinge sabbaticals before derby days?
Tsunki
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:33 AM
Comment #18I’m putting it down to not choosing his words wisely. I don’t really want to think he’s siding with Mike for any reason. For example getting a Captains Bung for towing the big mans line. That would be sad.
Tsunki
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:36 AM
Comment #19I expect more of this stuff leaking out bit by bit. The slow tap tap tap of mike’s tenderiser.
bettyswallocks
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:40 AM
Comment #20Sorry I forgot an ” I ” Jib. Plagiarised coming from the biggest culprit of plagiarism in the whole of the U.K. ‘S cross dressing community seems rather hypocritical.
Bobbybee
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:48 AM
Comment #21Is Jamaal not just reiterating what Rafa said in one of his most recent interviews? Rafa said something along the lines of ‘its not just about spending more money. Sometimes spending more money is not the answer’ – maybe pointing out Fulham’ s season – ‘it’s more about doing things better that we have’.
Not his exact words, but the gist was about getting things right, rather than just throwing money at it. Fulham spent a fortune for a club their size and look how much good it did them, compared to us. These latest comments from Jamaal may have been his way of backing Rafa up, rather than giving the knacka support in not spending.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:51 AM
Comment #22Aye we’re going to be drip fed stories of Rafa wanting Man City type training facilities, full control of the club, wanting to compete with countries, oh and his constant fights with all his previous views.
RobLeenio
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:52 AM
Comment #23I think Lascelles was just trying to grab some of the plaudits for a job (very close to being) well done of him and his team. A great deal of the punditry coverage has been to give massive credit to Rafa, which is correct. However, the players deserve huge credit also and I think Jamaal is just letting us know that, while the squad is not the most expensively assembled, it has been consistently competitive.
I’m not going to begrudge him that, the lads deserve any and all credit they receive.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:53 AM
Comment #24Bobby,
Like a lot of footballers, I don’t think he is very clever to be honest. Sincere, genuine and seemingly a nice guy, but just not that clever.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:54 AM
Comment #25*previous bosses
Essex Geordie Bill
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:56 AM
Comment #26Polemicism is still alive and well on the blog!
Mag :P
Apr 15, 2019 at 11:59 AM
Comment #27Gotta love the pointless arguments on this blog.
Bobbybee
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:00 PM
Comment #28Looking very scary for Chris Hughton and Brighton right now. There always appears to be one team that drags into the relegation battle and they’re on a terrible run. Saturday’s capitulation to Bournemouth was a living nightmare for the supporters. Wtf was Le Loon thinking with that assault? Absolutely crazy. Talk about just wanting to get off the pitch!
Tomorrow’s game against Cardiff is their biggest game for years.
Bobbybee
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:02 PM
Comment #29Jail, makes you wonder if he doesn’t post on here sometimes!! 🙂
Jib
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:07 PM
Comment #30Hoots refused to make eye contact when Knockeart
walked past him to the changers – I bet the after match
atmosphere was frosty
Bobbybee
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:08 PM
Comment #31In a way, you have to feel for Cardiff as well. We have our fair share of bad ref’s but some of the decisions – crucial decisions at that – that they’ve suffered have left me just shaking my head in disbelief.
We know as well as any club that ‘these things level themselves out over the season’ is just nonsense. They don’t. Some clubs get all the decisions and others get none. Cardiff have had some shockers this season.
Essex Geordie Bill
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:11 PM
Comment #32Bobby
Aye we could be instrumental in their demise, be a shame but I’ve never really thought of them other than a middling championship side.
They were punching well above their weight same as Bournemouth!
Bobbybee
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:13 PM
Comment #33Jib, indeed, I wonder if he’ll play again this season? He’s got a ban coming next two games – it could be extended if the PL think it warrants it – and maybe Hughton will feel that let down by him he won’t select him again this season. Maybe that was Knockhaert saying he wants out of Brighton? Totally irresponsible assault – I won’t even call it a tackle, he was in a different postcode from the ball.
Jib
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:17 PM
Comment #34“Tsunki
Jamaal be taking back-twinge sabbaticals before derby days?”
Bitchy , unfounded and bringing into doubt your Toon credentials
I seem to remember Lascelles playing through
the pain barrier one year until he could get an
end of season operation.
Bobbybee
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:18 PM
Comment #35Bill, yeah, I don’t see Rafa showing Brighton, or even Liverpool any favours in the run in. It would be a shame to see Chris go down with Brighton but they have imploded during the second half of the season. Watching MOTD on Saturday night was like watching a Sunday League club defending.
Essex Geordie Bill
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:22 PM
Comment #36There must be a manager’s potential nightmare team out there can you imagine having 11 players with Knockhearts temperament on the pitch. How about him and Colback for starters!
Jib
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:23 PM
Comment #37Bill
That potential team would have to be managed
by Joey Barton
😛
Jib
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:25 PM
Comment #38The pre-match team talks would be something to behold
They’d all come running out to KO with blood noses and
shiners
Just a fan
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:31 PM
Comment #39Betty swallocks.
I keep telling you it’s not a gang.its a meeting of minds.we are off to the Phil and lit tomorrow to discuss Chekhov then pop off to see a musical.
You used the word tartuffian.
I hope you are not going to tar your leader Mr tuff .or was it a Freudian slip.
Anyway i think it’s time for you to pop off to Highgate cemetery to pay respect s to your hero
Bobbybee
Apr 15, 2019 at 12:32 PM
Comment #40Bill, I just don’t understand any player who deliberately gets himself sent off – and it would be difficult to describe that as anything but deliberate.
He let Chris down, his teammates down and more importantly, he let the fans down.
Brighton fans have been really supportive of the guy, especially when he lost his father and when they need him most, he downs tools.
It’s wasn’t just Saturday’s, when they needed him to drag them back into the game, it’s the crucial game tomorrow night and the following game. ( Don’t recall if this is his first or second red card, so the ban depends on that). He’s going to miss the most important game of the season for them and I know I’d be fuming if I was a Brighton fan. What a muppet.