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Rafa Benitez on frustrations of missing signings and Mike Ashley last ditch Tuesday conversation

6 years ago
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It is grim stuff on Tuesday night as it has been made public that Rafa Benitez talked to Mike Ashley on Tuesday morning to try and salvage something from this shambles of a January transfer window.

Rafa once again making clear that he had his targets identified before the window opened, just as was the case in January and Summer 2017.

Only for those targets not to be signed, as was also the case in January and Summer 2017…

Clearly frustrated, the Newcastle Manager says he spoke to the club’s owner after a frustrating month behind him.

The Spaniard makes clear he isn’t happy with the transfer process at the club, stating ‘It means that something is wrong…’

With numerous signings now made by Newcastle’s relegation rivals, Benitez has every right to question why NUFC can’t ‘get them over the line’, with the exception of short-term loan Kenedy.

After those last two transfer windows, Rafa Benitez went public with his anger and frustrations, before then saying it was a case of getting on with the job in hand.

If nothing of significance happens in the next 24 hours then you have to wonder what the United boss will be saying after the Burnley match tomorrow, and whilst he has once again said a number of times recently how much he loves the City and supporters, you do worry that Mike Ashley will move him ever closer to breaking point with such an overwhelming lack of support.

Rafa Benitez:

“It’s not the ideal situation when you have been working for months, preparing names and analysing players and then you go to January 1 with a list of players.

“Then you start with the names, the main target that you have.

“Then after you have to go to the 31st (January) and are waiting for a phone call from someone else.

“It means that something is wrong…

“But we can’t change what’s (been) going on here for a while.

“What I can try is to do my best now.

“We (Rafa and Mike Ashley) were talking (this Tuesday morning) about different options (in the transfer window).

“We have been talking about everything. It has been one month with our targets, so we had plenty of targets to talk about.

“We have to do something before the end and then that’s it.

“Obviously everone would like to see players (signed) early but they are not here, so we will try to do something in one day.

“Any player, if it’s a good player, will make an impact and bring something.

(Asked if more optimistic now about making more signings after speaking to Ashley)“Similar.

“We have to talk, it is the way they like to do things.

“In every single club I have been at, I normally finish with profit, success and titles…or at least not creating a problem for the books.

“I understand what is going on in the market and I’ll try to find players early at the right price.

“If a player is too much I will not say – ‘Go for this one.’

“But, in this case, in this time, it hasn’t been the case.”

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