There was finally some good news on the future of Rafa Benitez yesterday, even if it wasn’t the new contract we are all hoping for. It looks like a long summer ahead of speculation ahead for Newcastle fans but at least there is something positive to report.
‘Positive talks’ and the promise of a ‘competitive budget’ have reportedly resulted in Benitez saying he will stay next season but a new contract beyond that is still in doubt and yet to be agreed. So just where does that leave us?
The good news
Initially, I think there is just some relief that he isn’t going to West Ham, of all places. Pellegrini looks set for the role after strong rumours last week that Benitez was ready to leave Newcastle to move to the Olympic Stadium. Newcastle fans would not blame Rafa if he walked, it’s a minor miracle he is still here considering the constraints of working with Mike Ashley. If he does leave it should be for a Champions League club and West Ham securing an alternative manager is another piece of the jigsaw in Rafa hopefully staying this summer.
The fact talks have taken place and there is some form of breakthrough is a massive positive. It is big step forward and must mean Rafa has heard some things he likes or some of his demands on funding and infrastructure will be met. It is also worth remembering that Rafa is a master politician, just as he says he wont sign a contract now it doesn’t mean he wont; he realises having 1 year left on his deal is the best bargaining chip he has to demand more cash for new players. He wont commit until he gets what he wants and in writing no doubt after failed promises previously.
So the fact that Rafa looked likely to join West Ham a week ago and now looks likely to be in the dugout for us come August is good news. We just need further progress to made in the coming weeks so common sense can prevail a new contract signed.
The bad news
Although this is a breakthrough of sorts, it only secures Rafa as manager for next season – not for the future. It also shows that issues still amazingly persist from Ashley. The Chronicle state ‘positive talks’ were held, but they still mustn’t have been positive and reassuring enough for Rafa to sign a new deal. Why he won’t commit the funds to Rafa and the control over transfers he wants just seems bizarre and is so frustrating to watch history repeat himself time and time again under the Ashley tenure.
Rafa rightly will not sign a new contract until everything is right and if it is taking this long you have to question whether the club will ever back him with the resources he needs. We could not have hoped for better than a 10th place finish and it meant maximum prize money. Takeover talks look to have failed with a high asking price putting buyers off and while Ashley is here we will always lack ambition.
You get the sense the love of the club and the area continues to keep Benitez here and he is determined to use his success on Tyneside to force Ashley’s hand. He is the only manager to consistently question Ashley while staying at the club – Rafa knows Ashley needs him. The bad news is that while he is owner, the future of a top class manager like Rafa will always be in doubt and this latest news just confirms that. Things are never straight forward with Ashley.
What do you make of the latest twist in the future of Rafa Benitez? Will he sign a new contract and stay beyond next season?
And still she has not officially walked away yet?? strange.
Dutch(Quote)
It’s going to be a big summer. Rafa is looking at players who will want £100k a week. That means he has to clear the decks and get rid of big earners like Mitro, Colback, Sels and Mbemba to name but a few. With a shortened window and a WC the pressure will be well and truly on Charnley. Let’s hope Jabba doesn’t have any holiday planned…
Stuart79(Quote)
OK so you have promises. I’ll sign a contract in February, once you have delivered on them.
Meantime let’s see just what I can do.
Rafa
PremAndUp(Quote)
yep
kimtoon(Quote)
So, Sir Harry of Kane will England Captain I see.
kimtoon(Quote)
Yep, that’ll be it. Big test now for the club – failure to deliver and Rafa will leave end of next season unless there’s new owners.
Olly Hawkins(Quote)
rafa has a year left on his contract,in football terms thats a life time,a lot of things will change in 12 months,so just enjoy the fact that he,s staying.
nossa(Quote)
Olly – sorry mate I don’t know if this is yours or Simons article.
I only see bad news based on absolute best case scenario – and we all know we rarely get that at NUFC.
I don’t know if people were genuinely expecting or even hoping that Rafa would sign a new contract, but I for one wasn’t. Me fear was that after 3 failed transfer windows in a row, Rafa would jump ship to the first club that showed interest.
A further fear was with Rafa asking for assurances and essentially publicly calling out Ashley, that that would make Fatman spit his dummy out and WANT rid of Rafa, regardless of what he has achieved for us – we all know of Ashley’s love of a puppet – and Rafa isn’t one of those.
So the fact that they have made it this far is only good news for me. The fact that at the moment, Rafa seems to hold all the cards and is dragging these clueless businessmen in the right direction is only good news.
Without doubt there are still potentially bad times ahead, because we are depending on Ashley and the board to keep their promises and back Rafa – and even then, backing him is one thing, but our lot have never been great getting deals done. So there are still nervy times ahead.
But I honestly believe that if they succeed – and I’m aware that’s a huge if – but if they do, we’ve gotten far enough under Rafas skin that he will sign a new contract – but there is a lot of hard work needs to be done by the club.
Sharpy17(Quote)
It’s Simon’s mate – says who writes the piece at the bottom of the article.
Aye, it’s still a difficult situation with lots still needing to be done if we’re to ever be content regarding Rafa’s future.
Olly Hawkins(Quote)
My biggest fear is that if Rafa has lost trust in Jabba then is there going to be a impasse when it comes to transfers. The club will expect players to be sold before others are brought in I imagine but will Rafa have the trust that they’ll replace them in time…?
Stuart79(Quote)
I just think it’s the best we could have hoped for based on how the club have been during Rafas time there – this is essentially him giving them a second or even final chance.
Ashley agreeing to back him is one thing. But my worry is just how long it takes Charnley and his team to get deals done.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Well It’s simply a case of waiting until June 7th and see what has been put in place that has caused Rafa to make this move.
Before then we have the domestic market, and that will wait until after the Championship playoffs before Mitro’s future is sorted.
PremAndUp(Quote)
Prem – I don’t think any moves have been made particularly but I agree with Sharpy and others that the speed and amount of transfers will determine how Rafa sees his NUFC future. He holds all the cards. We need him more than he needs us.
georgio(Quote)
Olly you missed some important problems at Sunderland. I mentioned them on the last thread but here is a quick summary:
* There is no “International Consortium” behind this chancer Stuart Donald. It is just him and a PR man and Donald’s net worth is estimated at 8.4 million.
* Donald was the failed owner of Eastleigh FC.
* Donald is paying the 40 mil for SAFC over 2 years with their own money and Short has a lien on the parachute payments if/when this doesn’t materialize.
* The average income, from everything including gate and TV, in League 1 is 6 million pounds (Sunderland have 2 years of parachute payments left).
Eric Sykes(Quote)
The average wage in League 1 is 2,500 per week. Jack Rodwell’s wage is 43,000 per week. I might not be a maths genius but I can do sums – Rodwell is being paid what 17 players in league 1 get. So that’s the starting 11 plus 6 subs – almost the full matchday squad.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I am not sure if there were “strong rumours” of Rafa going to West Ham as Simon put it. There was a media feeding frenzy with only Sullivan fluttering his eye-lashes in Rafa’s direction to go on. They had already offered Moyes a contract a month before the season ended but Dour Dave said he wanted to concentrate on the job at hand and it could wait. Then they reneged.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Chancer Donald is most likely blowing smoke up the Mackems’ **** about Coleman as well. He got them relegated and still left with a payoff. Why would he go to the 3rd division on what Donald has said would be less money. He might have a bit of his reputation intact from the Wales job and why remind people of how **** he was at SAFC by going back? There will be Championship jobs he can apply for before Christmas. Ipswich is open now.
This man is a liar. He says there are substantial transfer funds. No there are not. The parachute payments are mostly allocated to wages and who do they have to sell? Plus he owes Ellis Short 40 million. If any Mackems think they are better off now then they are delusional and I have a bridge to sell them.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I keep reading headlines like TV Pundit attacks Mourinho. It turns out to be Jermaine Jenas. He always was a better talker than player but still if his punditry is as accurate as his shots or biting as his tackles I doubt Jose has much to worry about.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Prem: Lee Ryder said today we could get 15 million for Mitro. No **** Sherlock.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Not NUFC related, but sometimes you just have to say “what were they thinking”? Arsenal new kit:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5756739/Arsenal-unveil-new-Puma-home-kit-2018-19-season-costing-100.html
Eric Sykes(Quote)
talk is Chelsea want 17mil for Kenedy but want a buy back clause included,dont like that idea like
icedog(Quote)
Ice – where did you hear that? £17m sounds about right if we put the buy back clause at £40m!
georgio(Quote)
Yeah – I reckon I’d take Kenedy for £17m if the buy back was say £30m for Chelsea and a release clause of £40m for any other club like.
We are also being well linked with Quincy Promes, the Dutch winger – I’d love to see him come in as well.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I’m not saying I’d want it written into Kenedys contract by the way, I’m just saying if that was the terms of signing him it wouldn’t put me off.
Sharpy17(Quote)
He’d be ok if we need a medical examiner to investigate any unusual deaths in the squad…
Stuart79(Quote)
? god every time I visited my aunty & uncle that was on the bloody tele. I was only about 7-8 and they only owned 2 videos – seven brides for seven brothers and the goonies – I could quote you every line from the goonies!!
Sharpy17(Quote)
just a whisper from a friend of mine at the club its what hes heard,sometimes hes spot on sometimes nowt comes of it but thats the crack at the mo
icedog(Quote)
£15m for Mitro is too cheap, forwards go for boat loads, even mediocre ones, is ryder saying Mitro is only worth £10m more than Joselu !
£25m not a penny less
kimtoon(Quote)
I can only think of 1 buyback clause being activated. I think Real Madrid sold Morata to Juve for approx 20 million, bought him back for 40 and then sold him to Chelsea for 60 million. Have there been any others?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
That’s the other thing about buybacks, they should never be for the original amount. I would say double is doable. So buy for 17, with a 34 million buyback. I could live with that and you never know with Chelsea anyway. I bet they wouldn’t have activated a buyback for De Bruyne and look at him now. They had the opportunity to buy him (no buyback) at 55 million when City did. And Salah was 35 million to Liverpool so Chelsea actually could have bought their ex-players for what turned out to be cheap WITHOUT a buyback clause.
I think I am saying they would probably screw it up anyway so let them put in their clause if it means we get Kenedy for next season. At least we know what we have and don’t have to take a flyer on someone from the Turkish League (unless we want to do that as well).
Eric Sykes(Quote)
They still show reruns but I can honestly say I never watched a full episode of Quincy so I never knew whodunit. BTW there is a Cable Channel in the US showing about 3 hours a day of The Cosby Show. I am not sure if that is in good taste considering he drugged and raped dozens of women. I haven’t watched but who are their advertisers Ambien, NiQuill and Valium?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
To be perfectly honest I think the only relevance selling players will have to the squad is that it will reduce the wage bill and create a bit of room. How can Rafa spend the money from a player sale of the transfer fee is to be paid over 4 years? The folly of the transfer policy is there for all to see.
Stuart79(Quote)
Sorry, more on the Mackems because the drip, drip, drip news keeps getting worse. They owe 25 million THIS SUMMER of the instalments for players bought by previous Managers. I am sure this will not end this summer either. So Ellis Short cleared most of the debt but wants 40 million back, plus they are stuck with an immediate bill of 25 million and overpaid players they cannot shift.
Sounds a bit like Ashley when the scrap metal dealer forgot to tell him NUFC still owed 125 million on Owen and others.
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sunderland-still-owe-25m-past-14688104
Eric Sykes(Quote)
We should not be paying cash up front. It is not the installment method that is at fault like Ashley thinks because every other club does it. It is buying **** players on high wages like Sunderland. If we do the same, paying in cash will not save us.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I am sorry again, but the comedy at Sunderland keeps on going. They found a Dutch club to take Rodwell on loan in January and he wouldn’t go. The Chronic list 8 players they are trying to shift and I doubt they will get a fee for any of them. This chancer Stewart Donald is taking a flier on this one. It doesn’t affect him if it fails, he has a free hit, and Short has a claw back on the parachute payments. This will not end well.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
And who in their right minds would accept instalment payments from the Mackems for new players? Now there’s a case where I would be demanding cash up front. But they don’t have it. They are screwed. I thought Short would put them in administration but this might be even worse, a slow public death presided over by 2 BS artists.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
https://thisisfutbol.com/2018/05/blogs/benitez-reveals-plans-at-newcastle-with-behind-the-scenes-talk/,,,RAFA
Icedog(Quote)
Here’s a list of NUFC wages. I am not sure how reliable the source is but the numbers seem plausible. There is no way they add up to 100 million. There is some accounting trick being done by Charnley to bring forward losses. But you know for a fact that The Chronic will swallow 110 million (inc bonuses) wage bill and the 90 million book loss as fact because it paints the worst picture. But it does not paint the whole picture, like they care!!!
https://sillyseason.com/salary/newcastle-united-players-salaries-99593/
Eric Sykes(Quote)
By my reckoning Eric there are 12 players there who should not even make the bench with a total of £385k per week or £20m+ per year
PremAndUp(Quote)
Prem: that is probably good news right? Because we can free up 20million a year and not even feel it. Since Fatty likes to count wages in the transfer outlay then Rafa can take these savings to him when demanding new and more shiny players.
Did you include MItro in that calculation? I doubt Joselu is going anywhere if he is being paid 50k a week.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I also think it was low on Lascelles as he just got a new contract. The rest are about what has been on the grapevine. There was that ridiculous number of 70k for Colback that was bandied about for a while until it was decided that it was more like 35k.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Ice – did you pick up on the ‘normally’ my relationship with owners is good … normally!! or am I just looking too much into these things ??♂️?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric Yest I did. I reckon we would need to replace those 12 with 11 better ones. 8 at6 £25k, 3 at 60k still shows a profit
PremAndUp(Quote)
I looked at the Chelsea salaries from the same source and they have Kenedy on 25k which sounds about right. I know salaries are sky high but I think the perception is sometimes warped when the media are always quoting the same names like Rooney and Neymar. Of course they get paid a fortune but they are outliers.
So is Sanchez. We already know that was/is a stupid number because Man U thought they were getting a 100 million pound player for 30. I am sure their reasoning was that they could pay some of the savings in extra salary. The problem is the media latches onto the headline number and that becomes part of the public domain so astronomical salaries start to be considered the norm when they are not.
It is still stupid money but not as stupid as the perception.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
typos
PremAndUp(Quote)
Its like when Ronaldo gets 20 million a year for a boot deal. The media ooh and aah and show him on his yacht. But it is not like Cairan Clark is getting that. I am sure he has a nice house in Darras Hall but he doesn’t have a private jet and vineyard.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Prem: you’re analytical. Have you looked at any of that Mackem stuff? Not just from me but in general. They are going down in flames.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
What do you get for £25k a week these days? That would mean we’d buy 6 bang average PL players.
Stuart79(Quote)
Nah, not my team. Not interested. Others may have hatred through rivalries, I save my vitriol, for MK Dons. with a bit left over for West Ham and Liverpool
PremAndUp(Quote)
You get rid of the players Rafa never plays and buy 4 or 5 first teamers. That’s what he wanted last year but he had to settle. If they are on loan or not even in the squad like MBemba they will not be missed.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
YOu need a matchday squad of 18, how many do we have? Assuming we buy Kenedy:
Dubravka
???
LeJuene
Lascelles
Dummett
Ritchie
Shelvey
???
Kenedy
???
???
Bench:
Elliot
Perez
Diame
Murphy
Moreno
Yedlin
???
By my reckoning that is 5 upgrades plus Kenedy.
I didn’t include Diame in the starters because I don’t know if we will see 1st half of season Mo or 2nd half.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I actually like Gayle but we can do better. I would take 15 mil for him and move on.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Don’t forget Rafa is a clever guy with ( words)
Icedog(Quote)
Ice – not that clever if a nugget like me spots it, good news is though that it will sail well over Ashleys heed ?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric – it’s Manquillo not Moreno mate, he’s Lpools **** LB.
But all in all I agree. I said the other day that I though Rafa needed 5-6 new players in this summer.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy, think he means Merino, him with the thigh strain and bad back who looked great until he signed permanently . 🙄
kimtoon(Quote)
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/938891875?-11058:809
God I hope this isn’t just lip service. I rate this lad highly and yeah, I’m a big fan. I think he’s still improving as a player, but as a captain & leader in the squad, I think he makes a huge difference. I’d be gutted to loose this lad, but if one of the big clubs come in and there’s trophies & CL on offer, I could understand him going – but for me it would be a fee in the region of £40-50m if Virgil is £75m.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Kim – oh aye, I forgot about him ?. Actually, Hayden isn’t mentioned in that list either, or Atsu – I can’t see us selling either of those so they would have to be named in a squad.
Sharpy17(Quote)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/roman-abramovich-chelsea-wealth-russia-uk-putin-salisbury-spy-poisoning-a8362421.html
kimtoon(Quote)
Kim – I can’t see that happening, and if Roman is forced out of the UK then I can see things going tits up for Chelsea
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy: I totally agree that we will keep Atsu and Hayden as backup. What I was attempting was what would be an ideal MATCHDAY squad if everybody was fit and to identify where we need to improve/where there are holes/what positions Rafa needs to upgrade. For example, I know Yedlin is our current right back but I put him on the bench because I think we need at the very least someone to challenge him who is better than Manquillo.
I was sort of doing it to see what positions Rafa would go after. For the most part I wouldn’t have a clue who they would be.
Maybe Ings. Maybe Solanke on loan. Maybe that albino lad from Watford but I doubt they would let him go. Then I got stuck as I think we will be looking at Germany, France and Spain.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Sharpy: add these 4 to that 18 to get to 22: Atsu, Hayden, Clark, Manquillo. I have probably forgotten somebody and I know I “named” a lot of question marks but that was the point of my exercise to see what we needed.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Olly: that Ryder article was a throwaway, probably because he was required to write one. As usual it probably was composed on his bar stool and e-mailed in . It told us nothing except he has not been paying attention to the transfer market and Mitro. A day ago his own paper had an article with Mr. Roy waxing lyrical about Mitro and it doesn’t take a genius to put together Benteke’s awful form and Mr. Roy’s glowing words about Mitro to come up with Palace being a possible suitor as well as Fulham. Fulham have money as well. They are owned by the guy with the tash that wants to buy Wembley.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
There is a really good Rafa interview in all of the papers about the CL final. I don’t really have a soft spot for Liverpool but I grew up watching those great Liverpool teams of ’70s/80s. The amazing thing is that most of those great players were British, Scottish even. Dalglish, Keegan, Souness, Hansen, Highway, Rush, the list goes on. And Bob Paisley must have been the most underrated manager ever. He gets credit now but at the time it was always about Shankly when Paisley actually built the better teams.
I actually like Real Madrid but their fans are the biggest bunch of entitled tossers I have ever come across. I have mentioned this before, but I was at a game last March and they went 3-1 and booed Christiano Ronaldo. That’s like NUFC booing Alan Shearer in my book.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
The Champions League odds seem a bit off to me. I would like Liverpool to win but Madrid should really be bigger favourites. They are 8/11.
Liverpool can tear a team apart but Madrid have a good defense. Compare that to Liverpool who have;
A dodgy keeper
2 very inexperienced fullbacks
Loveren, who always has a mistake in him.
And the central Midfield?
Henderson, MIlner or,
Modric, Kruss
I think that is a no brainer.
The forwards are evenly matched so on paper this is a walkover for Madrid.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Reading the Rafa stuff from 2005 and looking at that Milan team it should have been a cricket score. So, you never know.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Loved the Goonies!
Shamrock(Quote)
As of the end of June 2017, Newcastle were still due £60.7m in player sales – £22m of which will have been received by the end of next month. That means United are still awaiting £38.7m in future instalments from players sales from July 2018 onwards.
Signed on March 5, 2018, by Charnley, there is a risk identified that reads as follows: “[The] ability to recruit and retain playing staff and other key employees in what is a highly-competitive market.
The last paragraph is laying the land for sales of the likes of Lascelles imo.
Stuart79(Quote)
I notice in the accounts that we spent over £1m at Sports Direct. That’s a lot of mugs!
Stuart79(Quote)
its a crooks heaven Stu and always will be in jabba hands ime afraid
icedog(Quote)
said it before but i hope we sign Yacine Brahimi. from Porto hes magic,will get the crowd on their feet for sure
icedog(Quote)
I knew it!!!! They did an accounting trick to show a massive increase in wages. They brought forward all of the wages for players they considered useless and counted them in the 2017 accounts under “onerous contract provisions”. The amount was 22 million. This, plus the 10 million bonus accounts for the “increase” in wages from the relegation season to the Championship season. I knew there was something fishy, but not illegal. Of course the media will use the headline number but there was not a massive increase in wages it was bonuses and an accounting sleight of hand.
Similarly the loss was not the operating loss it was the tax loss of 42 million.
It does look from the accounts that they had begun paying for some players on installments. I will have to take a closer look.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Of course, this is good news because it means there is a lot more room for wages for new players than those accounts suggested. The wages going forwards in the 2017 accounts were a lot closer to 80 million (the relegation season number) than the stated 110 million, the manipulated number. And, given our turnover of about 170 million we are under 50% which is on the very low side for the PL.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I don’t expect everyone to understand accounts but to put it simply, of the approx 110 million wages for 2017 approx 30 million were one-off charges so the real wage bill going forward was approx 80 million.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
The Chronic were suggesting the other day that NUFC were stupid for not putting in relegation clauses into contracts. I suggest that the Chronic are stupid for suggesting that top players would accept relegation clauses. But I have a solution: DON’T GET RELEGATED.
Eric Sykes(Quote)