We were sorry to see Mikel Merino leave the club yesterday – he’s a young player who looks like he has the skill to become an excellent player in the future.
But he didn’t want to stay at Newcastle so there’s not much Rafa or the club could do about it.
But just before Mikel left us there was news that Rafa had managed to get a season-long loan deal worked out for Brazilian winger Robert Kenedy – who was dazzling for us this year on loan.
At the same time Merino, after recovering from his back injury couldn’t get back into the side because of the great form of Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame – who was a revelation in the holding midfield position.
Ayoze has pointed out on his Twitter account that one friend has left the club but another is coming back – so it kinds of evens itself out.
But it also shows how footballers careers can be unpredictable and it’s often difficult to settle anywhere for any length of time.
We are hoping that Ayoze can improve further his goalscoring prowess next season.
Last season he was our top scorer with 10 goals – 8 scored in the Premier League – the most he’s ever scored in a Premier League season for us.
Kenedy scoring against the Saints
He is another player who has improved under the guidance of Rafa Benitez.
Howay The Lads!!
This is what fooball is about, one friend is leaving the club and other is here again. Good luck @MikelMerino1 in Real Sociedad, I will miss u friend! Kenedy, I think we are going to have fun again ??? pic.twitter.com/kmNyVUl0u5
— Ayoze Perez (@AyozePG) July 12, 2018
315 comments so far
RobLeenio
Jul 13, 2018 at 11:39 PM
Comment #281Shire, tight lipped is for sure.
I said the other day it’s like there are two separate entities at the moment, the team under Rafa in Ireland getting on with stuff and presenting their face to the public, business as usual. The other is the corporate body hanging like a pall over SJP, silent and moody, business apparently stalled.
Lets get behind the first and hope that they find a way to blow the clouds away from SJP soon.
Williamson is Bramble in disguise
Jul 14, 2018 at 12:18 AM
Comment #282Why not save 17m and get Ben arfa back, ten times the player Townsend is was or ever will be, rather keep Ritchie than have him back it’s players like him that got us relegated
Williamson is Bramble in disguise
Jul 14, 2018 at 12:19 AM
Comment #283Get Ben arfa and balotelli on free transfers, then spend the transfer incomings on a decent no. 10 and fullback and we’ll be laughing
Oldgit1
Jul 14, 2018 at 12:44 AM
Comment #284Interesting to read that the new manager of Chelsea will be under pressure to reduce the squad of players. Maybe some bargains to be had.
Nicky the ball tosser
Jul 14, 2018 at 12:59 AM
Comment #285Shaqiri signs for Liverpool for 13 million quid. Every man and his dog would have been in for him at that price, including us.
TyneMouth
Jul 14, 2018 at 3:45 AM
Comment #286Just arrived back home, what a day… However…
Relaxing with a much deserved late night refreshment, skimmed through today’s blog, what a shambles, ‘Bitches’ Brew’ comes to mind!
It’s worth remembering you blokes, that this blog is read by a surprisingly large number of football fans who are not NUFC supporters. Be careful with your insults to other NUFC fans, it damages our ‘united’ identity.
By all means fight your corner, but stop ‘flogging dead horses’ there are bigger windmills to conquer.
Rember, we are United. Sweet dreams…
chicousa
Jul 14, 2018 at 4:35 AM
Comment #287Nicky @285
“Shaqiri signs for Liverpool for 13 million quid. Every man and his dog would have been in for him at that price, including us.”
Except we weren’t. Don’t think we even inquired! I think we should of been on Shaqiri like stink on sh!t, but we weren’t…
chicousa
Jul 14, 2018 at 4:43 AM
Comment #288JazzyP @241
“I HATE MIKE ASHLEY WITH EVERY OUNCE OF MY BEING!!!!!”
You are not alone my friend, not even remotely alone!
The next Mike Williamson
Jul 14, 2018 at 5:37 AM
Comment #289id take balotelli and ben arfa. theyd add some flair to our steel. we would need a defensive right back though.
Jail for Ashley
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:39 AM
Comment #290I think that anyone entertaining the notion that Rafa will be enjoying the challenge of working under Mike Ashleys ambition for the club is being fanciful at best. He does not have a hope in hell in achieving what he wants to at the club, his reward for over achieving last season looks like it’s going to be having even less to spend than than the season before. This makes it hard to even have a go at the cups if we’re struggling around November again, which if we don’t bring in a decent CF we will be. Ashleys remit has always been to look at the team and spend what he feels s the bare minimum to survive and that is never going to change. Rafa is not going to stay here beyond the end of the season just to line Ashleys pockets and ensure world wide exposure for that rotten sports shop of his.
Jib
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:40 AM
Comment #291More Irish stuff
Jail for Ashley
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:41 AM
Comment #292Jesper thinks Rafa should just get on with it as other coaches in different leagues get less to spend on budgets. They do, but if they’re any good they get a move to the PL or La Liga eventually and a bigger budget, Rafa has worked his way up and deserves more than what he is being given now.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:41 AM
Comment #293We worring aspect is that we still haven’t got the forward situation right and we don’t know if we’re anywh closer!
…and we know we need to off load players to buy…and some seem to be impossible to off load!
Hence why we should always be careful who we bring in…they might be cheap in the short run but very expensive in the long run!
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:42 AM
Comment #294*we = the
Nicky the ball tosser
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:46 AM
Comment #295Chico, I’d be astonished if we didn’t inquire about Shaqiri at that price, along with every other epl club, and top flight club in Europe. But at 13 million he was always gonna go to a senior side, who could offer better terms. He’ll have negotiated a big weekly wedge.
jazzyp
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:48 AM
Comment #296Jail
I hope that within the next 4 week we all go in to the new season with smiles on our faces because of a successful transfer window and new hope for the season.As it stands at the moment and on past form I fear this will sadly not happen because of Ashley.
Keep believing in Benitez I totally agree whole heartedly, But he doesn’t hold the purse strings and is clearly working now with virtually both hands tied behind his back.
No way will he be here this time next season..And let’s us all just think about that for a minute,Because then what??
Nicky the ball tosser
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:51 AM
Comment #297Rafa knows how to wait. He’ll get the arrangement he’s happy with or he’ll leave for another plum job. I still think our net spend this window will be around 50 million, and more again next close season. If he thinks Ashley’s on the level, I think he’s sure to stay.
hibbit
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:54 AM
Comment #298100% agree jazzyp the alternative doesn’t bare thinking about
Jib
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:55 AM
Comment #299Chico
Anyone less like a Benitez-type player than
Shaquiri would be hard to imagine.
He’s a powerful runner who isn’t scared to have a shot
He lingers on the touchline for the ball
Has a go , then when he loses the ball ,
goes back to the wing to have a blow and
recommence loitering for the ball again.
Jib
Jul 14, 2018 at 6:58 AM
Comment #300Rafa says he’s waiting on four new signings coming in.
Jib
Jul 14, 2018 at 7:08 AM
Comment #301Rumours from the midlands have Rafa trying to hijack
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s move from Man City to Wloves
He played the full game last season against us at the
Etihad (3-1 Aguero hat-trick) and must have caught the
Spaniards eye.
Jib
Jul 14, 2018 at 7:09 AM
Comment #302Wloves
ha ha ha
(bad cut and paste Lesh)
😛
hibbit
Jul 14, 2018 at 8:01 AM
Comment #303that made me laugh balotelli and ben arfa
Williamson is Bramble in disguise
Jul 14, 2018 at 8:26 AM
Comment #304I think Ben arfa would come back in a heartbeat, and he’s ten times the player Townsend is… balotelli maybe not but worth a try he might if the club was sold correctly, actually think we’d be the perfect match we’ve got a history of players with ‘unique’ personalities…plus they’re both on a free so would allow for the extra wages, just don’t want Townsend and the strikers we’ve been linked with haven’t exactly been exciting
hibbit
Jul 14, 2018 at 8:35 AM
Comment #305Williamson is Bramble in disguise
not a hope in hell of Rafa bringing Ben Arfa back,
a disruptive trouble maker the very last thing we need in this group of players
Jib
Jul 14, 2018 at 8:35 AM
Comment #306Ben Arfa is 31 and hasn’t played in a game
since April 2017 – mind he scored 2 goals
in a 4 -0 victory.
Unfortunately it was in the French cup vs
3rd division US Avranches
DaveD1000
Jul 14, 2018 at 8:46 AM
Comment #307Ben Arfa shot his wad a long time ago
Williamson is Bramble in disguise
Jul 14, 2018 at 8:58 AM
Comment #308At least he cares for the club more than you can say for Townsend, and he may not of played for awhile, but before he joined PSG he was on fire playing as a striker, could be just what we need… he’s free anyway so can’t do any harm trying on a short term deal… who would you rather have Townsend or Ben arfa? Easy question for me bring the lad home!
Nicky the ball tosser
Jul 14, 2018 at 9:03 AM
Comment #309I’d, of course, agree that Ben Arfa and Balotelli would be most unlikely acquisitions, but they’d certainly be thrilling ones.
………………..Dubravka..
..Yedlin…Lascelles..Lejeune..Dummett.
……………….Shelvey..Ki….
…….Ben Arfa…Perez….Kenedy..
………………….Balotelli….
Ha,ha, who wouldn’t like to see that side with it’s tail up at St James’ Park?
Munster Mag
Jul 14, 2018 at 9:10 AM
Comment #310Ruddy, not sure why you are slagging me off about Perez. I highlighted his ability when he was getting mullered on here. By the end of the season he was given glowing praise by rafa. I never said man City were going to buy him. What I did say was that technically he had skills which would make him look OK with those types of players. Anyway he became a main man for Rafa, so I think you got that one Wrong, but don’t let that stop you trying to spout on. To recap, you slagged off Perez and now look like a plum so it was a bit silly bringing it up again wasn’t it? ?
sing in the corner
Jul 14, 2018 at 9:15 AM
Comment #311Good to see Cal Roberts and Jamie Sterry in those Irish training camp pictures. Kept an eye on their development for a while on and off and it would be fantastic to see them break through now. Both just might make it, in spite of our stuttering development system..
martoon
Jul 14, 2018 at 9:15 AM
Comment #312Jesper – The points you make are valid BUT can only be said with 20 20 hindsight. When we sign a player we think he will be successful. Even if we have doubts we have to offer a decent contract otherwise the player will not sign at all!
DaveD1000
Jul 14, 2018 at 9:20 AM
Comment #313sing
have a feeling in me water Sterry might just blossom
sing in the corner
Jul 14, 2018 at 9:22 AM
Comment #314DaveD
Yeah, so unlucky with injury just when a glimpse of a chance came along!
Munster Mag
Jul 14, 2018 at 9:31 AM
Comment #315Tsunki I presume you are just trying to get Jesper to say that Mikey is at fault for supplying crap money, therefore we get crap signings. Which is most of the picture, but Rafa has to carry the can to a lesser degree too, unless you are suggesting that all players costing 5m are crap and that we could not have got better with the spend. Unfortunately to make that point is to be labelled a Rafa hater by your twin. Obviously not all signings can work out, we all appreciate that. The major issue now is that our rivals seem to be able to move on players in the 16-20m bracket and we just can’t or won’t. Perhaps if we clear some out first, but it’s not looking good. Also surely we could keep Ritchie, who can cover both wings, AND go for Townsend. Come on fat man do the right thing.