Former Newcastle United defender Philippe Albert described the Magpies’ current team as average while gushing about the job Rafa Benitez had done at the club.
The retired centre-back, who played 96 times for the Toon, revealed that he thought Benitez was doing a very good job as Magpies boss when you consider he was working with an average team and didn’t get much money from club owner Mike Ashley for transfers.
Albert then added that the Magpies needed Benitez to stay and that hopefully something will change in the board that sees the club able to make some big transfers.
“Benitez is doing a very good job with an average team,” said Albert, as quoted by The Sun.
“I am very impressed with the job he has done because the chairman doesn’t give him the money that he wants to compete with the better teams.
“They need him to stay and hopefully something will change in the board and somebody will come with a lot of money to make some big transfers.”
OPINION
Albert uses one word to describe Newcastle’s current team and his choice is rather harsh to say the least. While Benitez doesn’t have an amazing squad, as he is short of depth in several positions, his ideal starting eleven are not an average side. With top-class players like Fabian Schar, Martin Dubravka, Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez, when he’s in form, the Magpies can’t be dubbed an average team. However while Albert is perhaps wrong to say the Magpies are average, the rest of his remarks are spot-on. The Magpies need to do everything they can to ensure Benitez is their manager for the long haul as with him at the helm, the club can get back to competing at the top-end of the Premier League. Benitez will still need to be given the tools to do this job, however if he does sign a new contract to stay beyond the season, you feel the Spanish manager would have got assurances that his ambitions would be met.