Rafa Benitez is keenly aware that Newcastle need more cover at center-back, with both Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor having left the club this summer and we also lost Mike Williamson back in January.
Newcastle have been trying to sign Grant Hanley from Blackburn for far too long, but Rafa Benitez has said today he thinks the club will have somebody in soon.
Rafa Benitez – Newcastle manager
Rafa was asked whether he thought there would be somebody brought in before Wednesday’s game at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster – and this is what Benitez said:
“I hope so.” “We are working hard. Lee Charnley knows that we need bodies to have all the positions covered.”
“We are short of center-backs. We have to manage the minutes and positions.”
“It’s clear that we need bodies in some positions, and I think we will have someone soon.”
Blackburn’s Indian owners Venky’s have been playing hard ball with Newcastle and the reports are that we have just put in our third bid of £5.5M, after earlier bids of £3.5M and £4.5M were turned down.
Grant Hanley – Scottish International center-back
But it seems that Newcastle are still hopeful of getting a deal closed since Grant Hanley is reported to be very keen to join the Rafa revolution – the Rafalution – going on at Newcastle United.
It would be great of we can sign grant Hanley before Wednesday.
Finally!
Comments welcome.
59 comments so far
expatmag
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:38 AM
Comment #41TUFF
carl who???????
Ignorance is bliss in his case…….lol
Spoof
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:39 AM
Comment #42G
if this continues like yourself I will just not bother or use the site rarely, there is no enjoyment in it when we have so much immaturity.
jayphoto
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:39 AM
Comment #43For me, Rafa can make Sammy Ameobi captain and I’ll trust him on it. Rafa is no yes man, he sees the players day in day out, he knows them. Whoever he chooses, whoever he buys and sells , for the first time since Sir Bobby, i’ll be onboard. The guy knows more than us. He’s won league titles, the champions league – each time with teams that weren’t favourites to win, he knows what he’s doing. Lets be honest he shouldn’t be anywhere near the championship!
I agree that perhaps Lascelles would be better learning his trade before captaining. My guess is it’ll depend on who goes and stays but I can see Tiote or Sissoko captaining if either stays. If both go I can see it being Gamez who captained Malaga and is a leader. All depends on who plays though, i’d argue Siem De Jong is captain material if hes in the starting line up
Spoof
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:42 AM
Comment #44carl
you really do need to take a look at yourself, on this particular thread you have now made six posts and not one of them has been football related, like I say take a good look at yourself and stop blaming others, and there are many others who need to do the same ?
expatmag
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:44 AM
Comment #45Back to football
I fully expect the likes of Wijnaldum Thauvin Sissoko Krul Tiote to be gone by the time the teansfer window closes with the coffers swollen by anything up to 70 million pounds.
Question will be who is coming in to replace them
Spoof
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:47 AM
Comment #46jatphoto
trusting Rafa is one thing but Sammy the captain is a bit much, but I do know what you mean and I do agree, for me our signings haven’t really got me that excited as non of them for me have had the wow factor but at the same time I do believe that they will do us a really good job as they do seem to be players who have been bought in for a reason with the reason being that we needed strengthening in there position.
Spoof
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:48 AM
Comment #47jayphoto not jatphoto, sorry mate.
jayphoto
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:49 AM
Comment #48@Cyprus – I heard Hanley from Blackburn is Burnleys first choice If they sell keane which they seemingly are about to. So reckon we’ll miss out on him. Hes a decent player. A defender first and foremost that doesn’t shirk a challenge. My opinion is he would improve us, but then we could sign better players too. Would have loved to have seen us sign ayala!
Michael Dawson was probably the best CB in the championship last year which is a measure of the standard
carl
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:51 AM
Comment #49Spoof
I was on earlier this morning talking football.
There are only a few causing trouble and as I said they’re currently being moderated. One individual has taken note and is on his very best behaviour. I have posted since 2007 and I was driven off by loutish types. I have been actively asked to continue to post by the genuine types.
Mister Tuff
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:52 AM
Comment #50I am not being moderated – another lie.
Please provide proof.
Says it all really – why anyone would want to engage at all with someone intent of causing mischief and ultimately killing off the blog forever is beyond me.
Give it a rest man – you were chased off the blog yesterday and again today.
jayphoto
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:54 AM
Comment #51@Spoof – I think its because we look at players based against premier league standards. The championship is a huge drop in quality though. In that league Gayle is a 25 goal striker and Ritchie was the best player in the league 2 years ago, and he’s got better since.
Perhaps we are taking the wow players into the championship with us already? Shelvey, Colback, Mbemba, Mitrovic, Lascelles, would never sign for championship clubs. If they stay, I think they just might be the wow players in that league
jayphoto
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:56 AM
Comment #52Last years wow player in the championship was Joey Barton… I love joey but none of us would have thought he’d be good enough for our first 11 in his 30’s. Its a big show of the level the championship is at. Barry Bannan made team of the season last year too….
Spoof
Jul 18, 2016 at 11:58 AM
Comment #53carl
if so then why not zip it, ignore and talk football, sorry mate but from what I can see is yes, you will talk football but the first opportunity you get to get involved in a cat fight you take it, for me you are as guilty as anyone for the bickering and as a result you should also be stopped from posting, so if you want people to change their minds about you then you know what you have to do, but are you disciplined enough to do that, from what I have witnessed I would say you aren’t, but it’s solely up to yourself !
jayphoto
Jul 18, 2016 at 12:02 PM
Comment #54Always find it odd no one seems particularly bothered about Shelvey staying. I think he lost his place because rafa just needed 2 destroyers in midfield and didn’t have time to change too much and implement a system. The way shelvey plays too, he needs runners and movement to show themselves and we didn’t have that but Shelvey can be a really devastating player. He didn’t get 10 england caps playing for Swansea (a place the England manager rarely goes) for nothing. His passing range is sublime! His vision, his assists… He played at a high consistent level for Swansea for 2 years so its not like he was inconsistent.
His attitude has been great too, didn’t throw his toys out the pram when he lost his place,actually seems a thoughtful guy in his interviews, hasn’t publically looked for a move, in fact he said he was here regardless back in march… Hired a personal trainer and spent all preseason getting fitter and leaner… Hes a level way above the championship, with Gayle running in behind next season I think Shelvey will be our star player.
expatmag
Jul 18, 2016 at 12:05 PM
Comment #55TUFF
Have you been moderated? Cannot see it myself.
expatmag
Jul 18, 2016 at 12:08 PM
Comment #56JAY
If he can get vack the form he showed when he got selected for the England squads, he could be crucial but I think we need another playermaker like Will Hughes, just in case
Spoof
Jul 18, 2016 at 12:19 PM
Comment #57jay
where would Shelvey play, for me he is better playing really deep so in Rafa’s system it would be as one of the two holding players, yes he can tackle but is he a holding player, I’m not sure that he is, for him to play there for me he would need a really strong and powerful ball winner so we would end up with a pairing similar to that of Tiote and Cabaye with Shelvey playing the Cabaye role but unless Tiote stays which is doubtful then we could struggle to get a suitable partner for Shelvey as Anita,Saivet and Colback for me wouldn’t be strong enough to do for Shelvey what Tiote did for Cabaye, we do also now have Hayden and seeing that he has often been used as a CB then possibly he could be strong enough to do the Tiote role but due to the fact that I have never seen the lad play I don’t know if he would be strong enough, if he isn’t then it could well be Colback alongside Hayden who gives us a strong back bone so where would that leave Shelvey as he isn’t a number 10.
jimmysmith
Jul 18, 2016 at 12:20 PM
Comment #58I think Shelvey only gets in the team as the more attack minded of two central midfielders, in which case he really did need to lose the excess weight to allow him to run about a bit more. Cabaye did that, and would get a foot in. A fit industrious Shelvey would be great alongside Tiote in the Championship, or Colback, with an astonishing array of talent available to choose from to play in the hole ahead of them, whether it be Sissoko, Widjnaldum, De Jong, Perez, or Gayle off the shoulder of Mitro. The money being bandied about is tempting and not outlandish, but Benitez will recognise that promotion is far more important. It’s not a forgone conclusion that we’ll lose our stars, nor even that they are actively looking for the move, Sissoko aside, but after 3 and half years, it might just be in his and our interests to part company anyway.
NoahJ
Jul 18, 2016 at 1:22 PM
Comment #59for me, mbemba and lascelles have to start at centre half next season. that partnership was one of only a few positives from last year.
However, with the amount of games ahead, we also need another ‘starter’ (i.e. someone who can start if needed). then we have the likes of Satka and Good (if he will ever play for us again) to be the young prospects coming through