Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has revealed he has held a wide-ranging conversation with the club’s managing director about their January transfer plans.
The Magpies have a crucial January period ahead of them as they look to strengthen their squad in an attempt to stave of relegation.
A horrific run of eight Premier League games without a win has seen them drop dangerously close to the relegation zone, now lying just one point off the bottom three.
The club are currently going through an uncertain time with a takeover on the horizon, and Benitez is unsure of the budget he will have at his disposal in January.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of Newcastle’s clash at Arsenal, Benitez confirmed that he had held talks with managing director Lee Charnley about transfer targets, and also about which players may leave the club in January.
He did however confirm that he still does not know the budget that he will have to spend on players.
Benitez was quoted by the Chronicle’s Newcastle reporter Chris Waugh on his Twitter account on Friday afternoon:
Rafa on transfers: "Yesterday I met with Lee Charnley. We talked about what we'd like to do, players we'd like to bring, some who could go. It was just talking about ideas for now. The main thing is we have spoken & we must love forward quickly." stillno details on budget though
— Chris Waugh (@ChrisDHWaugh) December 15, 2017
OPINION
The January window is going to be so crucial for Newcastle United. The business they do in the transfer window could very well be the difference between life and death in the Premier League this season. Benitez, and Newcastle fans, will be desperate for the club to designate the transfer budget so he can get to work immediately on identifying which players he can move for. The quicker it is done the better a chance they have of securing those targets. Takeover discussions seem to be stalling the budget decision, and progress must be made in the coming days or Benitez may find himself at the mercy of the club’s mistakes again, just as he was in the summer.