Rafa Benitez has been on media duties over the last few days during Newcastle’s pre-season trip to Ireland and has made a revealing statement about the sort of player he will look to sign this summer.
Benitez, along with Dwight Gayle, Jonjo Shelvey, Jamaal Lascelles, Ciaran Clark and Isaac Hayden, paid a visit to Dublin’s Sports Direct yesterday to unveil the new NUFC third kit and was asked several questions by English and Irish media.
Here’s what the gaffer had to say when asked about transfers:
“It’s important to have more additions.”
“We need to improve the squad.”
“We are not signing top-class players in the Premier League, we are signing the players we can and the players who can do a job for us.”
The last line was an interesting one from Benitez – a slightly sobering statement, confirming that Newcastle can not sign ‘top Premier League players’ this summer, and instead must settle for players who can ‘do a job’ for the team.
In fairness, I think we have accepted that, for now, we can only attract a certain level of player. Rafa or no Rafa, we are still a newly promoted club and only have so much money, with a budget that needs to go a long way- and hat is easier said than done in today’s market.
Fans had urged Benitez to look at the Gylfi Sigurdsson’s of this world earlier in the summer, but given the Swansea star’s £50m price tag, it’s easy to see why we could ill afford to blow the majority of budget on one ‘top class’ Premier League player.
Benitez is believed to have upwards of £70m to spend this summer, however when you consider the amount of reinforcements we require and the inflated market we’re working in, you can see why we must box smart with our transfer dealings, for now.
