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Rafa Benitez says Napoli point the way to Newcastle transfer policy “The debate is quite simple”

5 years ago
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Rafa Benitez has repeatedly made clear that there are two bu problems at Newcastle United when it comes to transfer policy.

Mike Ashley refusing to allow spending at a level that is needed, as well as a refusal by the NUFC owner to allow Rafa to buy and sell players as he sees fit.

Rafa Benitez has once again spelled it out to Mike Ashley about transfers.

With only four weeks until he takes charge of the final game of his current NUFC contract, the Newcastle manager has spoken to Sky Sports, declaring: ‘The debate is quite simple, we need to sign good players.’

To explain what he thinks could be achieved at Newcastle United, Rafa explains what happened when he was at Napoli.

Rafa Benitez signed a two year contract in 2013 and revealed that Napoli’s President told him he wanted to qualify for Europe every year, preferably the Champions League. Aurelio de Laurentiis then backing Rafa Benitez with cash AND allowing him to buy and sell as he saw fit.

His first season with the Serie A club saw Rafa backed with £100m but the sale of Cavani to PSG offsetting £60m of that figure, a net spend of around £35m in total.

With that £100m, Rafa Benitez bought the likes of Higuain, Albiol, Callejon, Mertens, Jorginho and Reina.

However, the later sales of Higuain and Jorginho have seen Napoli make a profit of around £90m on the money Benitez paid for them.

In his second season Rafa Benitez didn’t need to invest so much money on new players after the first season’s ambitious signings, spending just over £30m in total and bringing in the likes of Koulibaly with a net spend of only around £15m.

The problem at Newcastle United is that Rafa still hasn’t been allowed that breakthrough season on transfers, where you sign players that will give you foundations for the future, plus potentially be sold at big profits allowing reinvestment on more and more quality. Instead, Mike Ashley simply has Rafa and the fans living from season to season.

The foundations Rafa put in place at Napoli have helped lead to Champions League finishes every season with league placings of second, third, second and set for another second this time as they are seven points clear of third. With Juventus so dominant and effectively only really second to aim for, that is some achievement for Napoli.

It is clear that Rafa Benitez has had any number of players lined up who he feels could have helped Newcastle realise their potential, only not to be allowed to get on and sign them.

A big leap of faith to believe that Mike Ashley will be willing to change that, even if it means Rafa now walks away.

Rafa Benitez talking to Sky Sports:

“The debate is quite simple, we need to sign good players.

“When I signed for Napoli, the President, Aurelio De Laurentiis had ambition and he wanted to improve.

“He wanted to go to Europe and be there every year.

“So we signed Reina, Higuain, Albiol, Mertens, Callejon with money from Cavani.

“Selling Cavani got us around £60m.

“The year after we signed Koulibaly and Jorginho.

“Just by selling Higuain and Jorginho, the club take £140m back.

“So it was a massive profit.

“Still they have Koulibaly, all these players, you know the prices of these players.

“They have guaranteed in the last four years to be in Europe, in the Champions League or the Europa League.

“That means when you have the potential and you can do that and you can see the potential here (at Newcastle)…

“That is what you are looking for.”

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