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Rafa Benitez rubbishes claims Newcastle United can’t sign players because of location – Says everybody knows what real problem is

6 years ago
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Rafa Benitez as declared that Andy Gray is talking rubbish (as usual).

Responding to the disgraced TV presenter claiming that Newcastle United struggle to sign quality players because of the club’s location in England, the Newcastle boss dismisses that view as nonsense.

Rafa saying Newcastle United CAN attract players from home and abroad ‘because here you have all the potential, everything to be a massive club.’

Of course what is missing is ambition and willingness to pay transfer fees and wages, Rafa Benitez saying that the players will come ‘but we have to do things right’, adding that ‘everybody knows’ where the problems really lie.

Mike Ashley refusing to back his manager and of course as we all know, this summer once again broken promises by the owner to make ‘every penny’ available, instead a £20m+ profit on player trading which was more than any other Premier League club.

Players now wanting to come to Newcastle because of the geography is just nonsense.

Of course some players will want to go to London as opposed to a club outside the capital but for most, especially foreign players, they simply want to come and play in the Premier League and find the most ambitious club possible.

This is shown by big money signings (by Newcastle standards especially!) heading to Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Everton, Leicester, Brighton and elsewhere this summer.

Those players could just as easily have signed for Newcastle United if Mike Ashley didn’t run the club the way he does.

Rafa Benitez:

“Now they are saying that in the north east, they cannot attract players.

“Yes we can.

“We can,  

“So we can do it…but we have to do things right.

“That is it and everybody knows that.”

The Mag – 23 August 2018:

Andy Gray speaking on beIN Sports:

“You have to be very careful because Newcastle fans have an expectancy maybe beyond what they should have.

“They haven’t won a domestic trophy since 1955, that’s a long time since they haven’t won any trophy since the Fairs cup in 1968.

“Yet they (the fans) still think they are entitled to whatever Mike Ashley has got, whatever his millions are.

I think Mike Ashley has done a really good job with them, they finished tenth last year.

 “I heard last year that Mike Ashley was ridiculous (because) he didn’t give Rafa enough money – they were this, they were that – they finished tenth.

“Rafa spent more money and brought more players in and they might finish ninth this year.

“I dunno what they want?

“Do they want Mike Ashley to say here’s a quarter of a billion pounds of my money you can have it and spend it how you want Rafa, it’s not going to happen, It’s not going to happen.

“If you look at the investment he’s made in Newcastle I don’t get the stick he gets I really don’t. Then again, I’m not up there seven days a week the way the Newcastle fans are. I don’t know what they want from Mike I really don’t.

“He’s brought in Rafa Benitez he gets no praise for that, he brought him in he was the man that said I’m going to bring Rafa Benitez into the club and yet he gets no credit for that.

“It’s a difficult place to attract the very best players because most of the foreign players that come to the Uk want to play in London, Manchester or Liverpool they don’t want to play in the North East of England. So it’s difficult to attract the very best players up there.

“If they finish between sixth and tenth most years and win a cup or have a cup run unless they do a Leicester and surprise us all, I think that’s where they are.”

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