Newcastle icon Paul Gascoigne has backed manager Rafael Benitez as the man to bring success to the club with his transfer dealings.
The Magpies have made a slow start to this summer’s transfer window, bringing in just one new senior arrival in the form of Eibar defender Florian Lejeune, while they have also secured a permanent deal for Chelsea winger Christian Atsu after an impressive loan spell in the Championship.
In comparison, Benitez was already in full swing in the window this time last year, with five senior signings having come through the doors at St James’ Park.
In total he brought in 12 new faces to the senior squad last season as well as a handful of youngsters, and he may be hoping that he can hire the same sort of numbers to bolster his squad as he looks to secure the Magpies’ place in the Premier League.
One man who is impressed with Benitez’s work in the market is Newcastle legend Gascoigne, who believes the Spanish manager is the man to lead his hometown club to success.
He told the Chronicle: “Rafa has made some good signings since he took over.
“He will probably spend a bit more like every team.
“That’s what you have to do if you want to match those in the top four.
“Rafa is a good manager and you only have to look on his CV at the amount of stuff he’s won – hopefully he can do the same with Newcastle.”
Gascoigne, or ‘Gazza’ as he is fondly known by fans, turned out 92 times in the centre of the park for Newcastle before moving on and making the same number of appearances for Tottenham.
He also earned 57 caps for England, helping the Three Lions to the semi-final stages of both the 1990 World Cup and the 1996 European Championships.