Newcastle United have plans in the pipeline to head out on money-spinning pre-season tours in the future but manager Rafael Benitez got his wish this summer, according to the Chronicle.
The newspaper state that the Spanish boss was desperate to see him and his squad return to the Carton House training base in Ireland after seeing it breed success having travelled over the Irish sea for the past two years, with the likes of Real Madrid and AC Milan having also used the facilities there.
Having got his wish, it is stated that Newcastle are planning to return to travelling internationally in a bid to build finances, with the revenue garnered from such tours a boost to the coffers.
Opinion
Pre-season is all about striking the right balance over preparation for the season to come as well as capitalising on all the opportunities that present themselves in the off-season. There is a reason the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool all jet out to the far flung reaches of the earth, and it is not to get the players up to speed. The money picked up from tours in Asia and the United States is big business and with Mike Ashley in charge it is a surprise to not see the Magpies capitalising on that. However, it sounds as though Benitez, as much as he would like some more transfer funds, is doing the sensible thing and focusing on the football, making sure the squad are fully fit and raring to go ahead of what will be another tightly fought Premier League campaign. The trip to Ireland has worked out great for two years in a row, with a Championship title win and a 10th placed finish, and as they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.