A section of Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to express their anger after Rafael Benitez admitted today (Tuesday) that his plans to buy new players are on hold.
Sky Sports correspondent Keith Downie relayed on his personal Twitter account details of an interview he had conducted with the Magpies manager at the club’s Dublin training camp.
Asked if Benitez had to sell before he could buy new players, Benitez said “unfortunately” that was the case and it was now “normal” for the club to “wheel and deal” in the transfer market.
Chat with Rafa Benitez at Newcastle’s training camp in Dublin.
Me: “Rafa, are you under the impression you have to sell before you can buy?”
Benitez: “Yeah, maybe. I think it’s normal for us now to be like that. Unfortunately we wheel and deal – it’s the way for us.”— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) July 17, 2018
Benitez’s comments haven’t gone down well with many Newcastle fans on social media.
This Is Futbol has rounded up some of the best tweets:
Damning this.
I can’t see and don’t blame Benitez for not signing a new contract.
You have to ask, what is the point in this football club?
— Lee Robson (@leerobson23) July 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/Mitcho1992/status/1019168284116180993
https://twitter.com/MGCOACHSALES/status/1019168039735058433
I think when he leaves us at the end of the season, many will follow. Mike Ashley is a cancer on this club, nothing will ever change while he owns #NUFC
— Wayne Jones (@WayneJJones) July 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/k1ando2/status/1019169399004127237
https://twitter.com/dazzlaa81/status/1019169098104754178
As if some fans are still pretending that this is normal ffs ?
— colin oliver (@100Magpie) July 17, 2018
Still here. Still being paid very well from NUFC. Says the right things but still puts up with it. If he's not happy he should walk.
— BBB (@BritBoxingBlog) July 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/LiamFinnon/status/1019167820049993728
COMMENTARY:
No wonder the Toon faithful are exploding on Twitter. This is a quite incredible situation given the £125.9million TV money that the club have banked. Surely, there are internal politics contributing to the signing go-slow, which has so far yielded the free capture of Ki Sung-yueng, the conversion of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka’s January loan into a permanent deal and the season-long loan of attacker Kenedy. The stand-off over Benitez’s own contract – he has failed to sign an extension that has been on the table since the end of last season – is clearly having a bigger effect on recruitment than those involved are letting on. The fans deserve someone senior – not the manager – to explain the ‘sell to buy’ policy.