Rafa Benitez ‘refuses’ Mike Ashley’s offer – He’ll only sign if TWO conditions are met – Report

According to the Mirror, Rafa Benitez has been offered a new five-year deal by Mike Ashley this summer – however he’ll refuse to sign it until the club releases ‘significant’ money to spend on transfers and ‘invests in the youth academy’.

With the gaffer having just ten months left to run on his current contract a new deal for him should have been at the top of Mike Ashley’s priority list this summer.

Instead, he’s playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Benitez, making the same mistakes, refusing to release funds and showing no signs of ambition – leaving us lagging behind our Premier League rivals with just over 3 weeks of the window remaining.

The Mirror claim that Benitez is now ‘refusing’ to sign a new five-year deal offered to him by Ashley – and it’s no surprise.

Here’s what North East reporter Simon Bird has had to say about the current situation, suggesting that Rafa will only sign once he sees proof of spending but Ashley will only splash the cash once Benitez commits:

‘Rafa Benitez is in a game of brinkmanship with Newcastle over a new contract and transfer budgets.

‘The Magpies’ manager refuses to sign a new five-year deal offered this summer by owner Mike Ashley until the club releases significant transfer cash and invests in the youth academy.

‘But Ashley will only splash the cash if Benitez commits himself long-term first.

‘The stand-off is threatening the club’s Premier League prospects with the transfer deadline little more than three weeks away and the new season starting two days later.

‘Benitez admitted on Tuesday he wants to “stay at Newcastle for five years, or ten”, but is entering the last ten months of his current £5million-a-year deal.

‘As it stands, the Spaniard is beginning a long goodbye on Tyneside — unless someone blinks.

‘Ashley and his top brass are playing hard-ball with their manager, knowing their best leverage is releasing transfer fees.

‘Benitez needs to see action first to convince him his job is a long-term prospect and admitted this week he has to sell to buy, is wheeling and dealing, and “not 100 per cent happy”.’

The best thing about Rafa Benitez is that he offers hope. The worst thing about Rafa Benitez is that he offers hope.

For as long as he stays there’s a light inside all of us that hopes he will win this war and stay on for several years to come and make us great again, but that hope is dangerous – with that scenario seeming so far away and so unlikely for as long as Mike Ashley remains.

I can’t see a world where Rafa Benitez and Mike Ashley work together in the long-term at NUFC, so a takeover feels like our best hope.

(Fancy writing for us? Send any articles/ideas over to us at [email protected] & we’ll get back to you!)

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

4 thoughts on “Rafa Benitez ‘refuses’ Mike Ashley’s offer – He’ll only sign if TWO conditions are met – Report

  1. Benitez needs to leave.
    His name shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath as Ashley’s.

    Leave Rafa, I like you more than Ashley’s NUFC.
    I’ve gone from NUFC crazy to NUFC indifferent in eleven years … didn’t even try to watch the last few games.

    Until Ashley goes it’s just not worth caring.

    #AshleyOut

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  2. Ashley won’t give in Rafa will leave next year. Ashley will revert to someone like Wise , Pardew and the fans are the only losers. Life goes on for Ashley, when at the end of next season he gives his annual statement ” I have made mistakes but will not make them again”

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  3. The Only way Ashley will leave NUFC if he is struck down by lighting and that would bounce off him Rafa to leave at End of Next Season. NUFC to be Relegated again after that.

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  4. Olly, a take over is our ONLY hope – and it ain’t happening because of the silly self-serving conditions that Ashley has put on the sale – Ashley wants to retain complete ownership of all advertising at the ground, he has carved off the ‘development sites’ in and around St James Pk, he wants extra money if NUFC do particularly well, like Europe or Champion’s League, and he also wants to seal the books on certain past-player payments (now why would he want that?).

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