According to the Times, Mike Ashley has now offered Rafa Benitez a new one year deal – saying he must sign if he wants to receive money to spend on new signings this month.
If this is Ashley’s big response to the stand off that appears to have take place between him and Rafa then his disrespect towards both Benitez and the club clearly knows no bounds – also suggesting he’s prepared to take yet another huge risk ahead of what could be one of the most vital transfer windows for the club.
Why should Rafa trust him? Why should Rafa commit to this regime? Ashley can’t continue to keep doing the same thing and expect different results. The same thing was suggested over the summer regarding Rafa’s contract and transfer funds that would allegedly follow, but these petty demands only prove that he’ll only ever do what’s best for Mike Ashley, not Newcastle United.
Here’s a snippet from The Times’ latest piece, suggesting Ashley will only ‘unlock’ the club’s finances IF he signs a new deal:
The Sunday Times has learnt that there has been fresh discussion about overcoming the current impasse, and a front runner is the possibility of a 12-month extension on the £6m-a-year deal the former Real Madrid and Liverpool manager signed in May 2016.
Ashley, who is keen to sell the club and has called on would-be purchasers, including Kenyon, to meet his asking price of between £280-£300m this month, remains unlikely to strengthen heavily during January without agreement.
If Benitez agrees to the new deal then the tight hold on club’s finances is likely to be unlocked, although there remains a fundamental disagreement over how that money should be spent; Ashley wants young players whose value will rise and Benitez wants experience.
However, without the confirmation of Benitez staying beyond the end of the season, Newcastle are unlikely to sanction the spending spree their supporters have been calling on for three transfer windows.
The fact Ashley thinks investment is optional this month is worrying. He may want to sell the club (although I’ll believe that when I see it!), but his asset won’t be worth anything like the £300m he’s demanding if we continue to go down hill and find ourselves in the Championship once again in six months time.
It was suggested yesterday that Ashley is ‘reactive’ not ‘proactive’, but it seems to me that he’s ‘inactive’ – only ever emerging on the scene when there’s something to benefit him; not Benitez or the club.
Without investment nufc will go down fact. Ashley couldn’t be that stupid.
Nufc11(Quote)
Rafa should just tell the FCB “shove it up your a#se”.Even if he does sign a new contract and is promised money,the FCB will twist the tale and backtrack-false promises.there is no sale.The FCB is a liar and a conman
graham coleman(Quote)
This is just a repeat of a typical Ashley tactic that he has used before and I hope Rafa sees this. If I was him I’d sit tight until the end of the season then go, most NUFC supporters will understand if he does. Rafa and his coaching team are the only profession thing about NUFC the rest of the club is rotten. As for the take over rumors Kenyon and Cook are too close to Ashley for me to believe it will happen. It is all planned to give a reason not to buy in the transfer window. I would not want Kenyon or Cook anymore than Ashley.
Ian(Quote)
Never let fact get in the way of a good story.
You say;
According to the Times, Mike Ashley has now offered Rafa Benitez a new one year deal – saying he must sign if he wants to receive money to spend on new signings this month.
The Times actually says;-
Ashley…… remains UNLIKELY to strengthen heavily during January without agreement.
Then,
If Benitez agrees to the new deal then the tight hold on club’s finances is LIKELY to be unlocked
However, without the confirmation of Benitez staying …., Newcastle are UNLIKELY to sanction the spending spree ….
None of this says that Ashley will not spend unless Benitez stays. And one thing is for sure there is no way that Ashley will not bring anyone in. Risking going down again benefits Ashley in no way whatsoever.
Briiian(Quote)
if i were rafa i would sit tight to end of season, then dissapear as no point staying with lack of investment,can see championship football coming our way.a great club like this been treated in this way is diabolical.absolute fantastic fan base,who deserve much better from the owner,as there loyalty is 100% behind the club.if relegation does occur, cant see any potential sale ever happening,.
dave(Quote)
Reading this makes me think that if we go down, Ashley will simply go and blame Rafa by saying “You were offered money if you signed the deal”.
But all that has happened in the past, I have a hard time believing Ashley. Remember he said Rafa could have everything the club made from transfers and TV money, but Rafa ended having get loan players.
Now this! As much hate to admit it, we will go down without new blood (experienced, not young unproved) in the squad.
For this to move on, I think Rafa needs to get everything that Ashley says verified and witnessed by a neutral witness. But first he needs to find out HOW MUCH is on offer before either agreeing or refusing.
Brian Hall(Quote)