Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez will have £100million to spend over the next two seasons but he must be expecting the club to be sold this summer amid uncertainty over his own future, according to journalist Simon Bird.
The Mirror reporter, one of the most reputable writers covering the Magpies, claims in his column for the newspaper that the Spanish boss would surely not be sticking around at St James’ Park, with a contract that expires at the end of the month, if he was not confident of a takeover being secured and his wishes being met by new investors.
It is stated that Benitez would have around £100million to spend until 2021 under owner Mike Ashley, with further funds available from player sales, but that the only reason the former Liverpool manager has not chosen to leave is because of a proposed takeover deal.
Opinion
Newcastle fans will be praying that Simon Bird is accurate with his analysis of the situation at St James’ Park. Ask any member of the Toon Army whether they would rather keep Benitez or have a takeover completed this summer and they would struggle to decide. On one hand, the manager is a firm favourite of the fans and has worked miracles under what have been tough circumstances with Mike Ashley as owner. On the other hand, the Newcastle faithful would love to see the back of Ashley and see some money invested into their club. The dream scenario would be to have both new owners and Benitez staying on board, something that the Mirror journalist seems to think could happen thanks to Benitez’s desire to remain. Increased funds, with that £100million only working out to a mere £50million per year, would give the Spaniard the ability to invest in both the playing squad as well as the infrastructure on Tyneside.