Newcastle United’s ability to spend big in the January transfer window will depend on two key factors, according to Chronicle reporter Mark Douglas.
The reliable journalist believes that United will only spend big in the next transfer window depending on where they sit in the Premier League table, and whether boss Rafa Benitez will extend his stay at St James’ Park by signing a new deal.
During the newspaper’s Q & A, he was asked whether the Spaniard will get the sufficient funds to spend on players in January – and he answered by saying that owner Mike Ashley does have the cash to splash, but he will only provide his financial backing if Benitez signs a new deal.
“I think it’ll depend on where they are in the Premier League,” he said in the Chronicle’s Q & A session [12/9, 5.09pm].
“There’s clearly money there to spend – we know Ashley withheld funds because the contract wasn’t signed on the grounds that there’s too much uncertainty about his future to allow Benitez to spend – but Benitez wasn’t allowed to do it in the summer.
“I wouldn’t expect massive funds to suddenly be freed to him unless it looks like he’ll sign the contract in front of him. But if they’re in the bottom three, there’ll be more to spend because Ashley is frightened of what might happen if the club go down.
“In short: I think they’ll be active in January, but it’ll be more “boxing smart” in the window.”
OPINION
This revelation does not comes as much of a surprise, as it was always unlikely that Ashley would free up his funds in order to get the best players in. He demonstrated in the summer transfer window that he is difficult to milk money out of, and this looks set to continue in January unless Benitez pens a new deal in front of him. Whether a new deal for Benitez is negotiated by January remains to be seen, but fans will undoubtedly have their fingers crossed that he extends his stay on Tyneside. However, he has more important things to be worrying over at the moment, and one of them is securing United’s first win of the season. This is what he needs to focus his attention on at the moment, as the club risk falling further and further behind if they do not start getting positive results any time soon.