Journalist claims Mike Ashley could spend big in January – but only on one condition

According to The Chronicle’s Chris Waugh, Mike Ashley may only hand Rafa Benitez big money to spend in January if the club are looking in serious danger of relegation come the turn of the year.

Whilst this is just the opinion of a NUFC reporter, this seems bang on to me – Ashley will only spend money on this club when he’s pushed to the limit and it becomes a necessity.

If we go on a good run between now and Christmas and find ourselves comfortably above the relegation places, we can probably expect more loans or the return of this ‘sell before you buy’ approach.

Here’s what The Chronicle writer has had to say during their recent Q&A ahead of the January window:

“If Newcastle are in serious trouble by January, then I think United will spend a decent amount in the transfer market – just as they did during the mid-season windows in 2013 and 2016 when they were in perilous positions,”

“My view – and this is very much a personal deduction – is that Ashley is merely happy to survive and, although he would like Benitez to stay in order to help maintain the current valuation of the club, he is unlikely to sanction a significant January spend unless Newcastle’s top-flight status really does appear in serious danger.”

Considering the January window is his last chance to convince Benitez to sign a new contract, you’d think his backing would’ve been significant no matter what, but we all know how Ashley works.

As Waugh says, he is ‘merely happy to survive’ – something that highlights the huge difference in ambition between himself and Benitez.

(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.

One thought on “Journalist claims Mike Ashley could spend big in January – but only on one condition

  1. oh come off it – Chris Waugh doesn’t know his Arsenal from his Elbow.
    Why would you want to take anything he says remotely seriously?

      (Quote)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *