The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has revealed today that Mike Ashley is set to offer Rafa Benitez a ‘larger’ transfer budget than the one he was handed last summer.
This comes from his piece covering a recent interview with Jamaal Lascelles, with the NUFC skipper urging Mike Ashley to keep Benitez happy and secure his uncertain future in the coming months.
It also contains the following line from the Telegraph’s North-East reporter, stating that sources from the club have indicated that this summer’s transfer budget WILL be a bigger one for Rafa Benitez:
“Sources have already indicated to Telegraph Sport that the transfer budget in the summer will be larger than the one on offer this season”
Given around £35-£40m was spent last summer on six new recruits (Murphy, Lejeune, Merino, Manquillo, Joselu and Atsu), many would’ve hoped that more would be spend this summer (especially given the market we now live in), but this can only be seen a positive sign.
You may wonder how any of us (including Benitez) could believe a world Ashley says after so many broken promises, but Benitez will demand assurances this summer if he’s to sign a new contract. Any breach of these and he’d walk.
Realistically, Rafa seems to want a new striker, a new number 10, cover in central midfield and full back AND to secure permanent deals of Dubravka and Kenedy, so it may well take almost double what we spent last summer.
Will Ashley sanction this? I have my doubts, but let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Ashley will do what HE believes is required to keep the club in the premier league, however I am unsure this is enough to keep this manager at the club.
I think they need a left back, top holding midfielder, and 2 top quality strikers, 1 if Slimani is staying..Investment of at least £80M.
BillytheFish(Quote)