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Opinion

Caveats/Conditions preventing Mike Ashley selling Newcastle United

5 years ago
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There are now under five weeks of the Premier League season to go for Newcastle United.

So we have asked a number of regular/irregular Mag contributors about the state of Newcastle United.

What has/hasn’t happened this season and maybe more importantly, what is likely to happen moving forward.

Next up answering questions is Brian Standen:

How would you sum up how you feel as a Newcastle fan at this moment in time?

Underwhelmed would be my answer, each season you still get that tiny inkling that things could be different, but then one look at his smug face and you just know, we live in hope that someone will come in and finally take the club off his hands but until I see someone waving a black and white scarf in front of my eyes I won’t believe anything! Groundhog Day, Déjà vu….call it what you wamt!

Mike Ashley will still own Newcastle United when next season kicks off?

See above, the potential of this club should mean it is sold in a heartbeat, but something is preventing anyone taking a chance,

Why? It can’t be the price tag, £300 million is a bargain, it can only be the conditions or caveats that any buyer would need to agree to, Sports Direct caveats for sure.

Rafa Benitez will sign a new contract?

Huge question in my eyes, hand on heart, in my opinion he will not. I fully believe he wants to but unless something changes be it ownership or financial guarantees I think he will walk away with his head held high and with huge affection and respect from the fans of NUFC, make no mistake without him we would be doomed

Salomon Rondon will be bought by Newcastle?

If Rafa stays then without doubt yes, but my answer above will tell you I don’t think he will.

Don’t get me wrong, Rondon is no Shearer, but he has been pivotal this season and in a good team he would be a 15 goal a season striker, just a thought, alongside a fit Andy Carroll next season…..

The 11 Newcastle players you would most like to see still at the club next season (including players currently on loan), list them in order of importance.

Longstaff, Almiron, Dubravka, Schar, Lascelles, Lejuene, Rondon, Ritchie, Shelvey, Perez, Yedlin –

What do you think about Miguel Almiron so far and is Rafa getting the best out of him, or should he be playing further forward?

Very impressed with Almiron so far, it would have been better to have him in from Jan 1st but we know why that did not happen,

I think he would be an ideal player to pay behind the front two as he can beat a man, thread a pass and he has a real shot on him, I think he is only going to get better

Do you think real progress can be made at NUFC under Mike Ashley, regardless of whether Rafa stays or not?

It can be if Rafa is given the same fair playing field as all of his peers, namely some money to spend, but in reality it’s not going to happen, so NO.

Do you think any of the criticism about Rafa’s tactics is fair, not just when playing the ‘big’ teams but also against the rest?

In my eyes anybody who criticises Rafa is a fool, he is doing a great job with inferior tools, so he sets out to get what he can and to be fair he has done very well.

With the players/resources available to him, which position in the table would/should Rafa Benitez have been fairly expected to achieve?

Anywhere outside the bottom three is success, so that is the expectation. However, give him a a few quid to spend and top eight is within reach and after that who knows – pipedream though.

Rafa Benitez was desperate for help in the January transfer window to fight relegation, did what ended up happening (the final day bringing Almiron in and the loan of Barreca) equal full support for the manager?

Not at all. Yes Almiron cost about £20 million, but when you see what other clubs are spending, it is insignificant. Rafa has not ever been backed by Mike Ashley as he should be.

Has the unexpected success of Sean Longstaff given you hope of more young players making it at Newcastle and should Rafa be looking to give young players more of a chance?

A big bonus.

I thought he looked out his depth in the first cup game against Blackburn when he was given a rough ride physically but since then he has gone from strength to strength, very similar to Michael Carrick.

If he can build on this season he could be the mainstay for seasons to come.

However, the academy in my eyes is not producing enough, Matty Longstaff is for sure going to step up in next couple of years, but at the moment I don’t see anyone else coming through.

The likes of Jamie Sterry and Callum Roberts have promise but are now into their 20s, it’s hard for players to come through with so many foreign players on the books of all clubs.

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