This summer, despite the lack of incomings, Newcastle have done really well to command the fees for those who they’ve sold. Mikel Merino went at a fixed price of £10 million with his release clause, but to get around £10 million more out of Matz Sels and Chancel Mbemba is superb business from Rafa Benitez.
Matz Sels is in France finalising a move to Strasbourg that should be completed later today. Newcastle have agreed to sell the Belgian keeper to the new promoted Ligue 1 club for £3.5m.
— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) July 25, 2018
Sels is the man who looks to be going today, with Ligue 1 club Strasbourg looking to sign the Belgian ‘keeper who was far from convincing during his time at St James Park for a fee of around £3.5 million. For fans of most Premier League clubs, getting £3.5 million in for a player means the extra pennies would be put towards a new signing when the club moves to bring a new player in, with the Magpies, that is definitely not going to happen.
If anything, Sports Direct will be getting a new investment of £3.5 million from the Sels deal and Newcastle fans will have to get by with the fact that they’ve lost a senior squad member and won’t be able to bring in reinforcements. For the most part, last season was a brilliant one to be a Newcastle fan, the club had a resilience about them with Benitez at the helm and Jamaal Lascelles captaining them superbly to a 10th placed finish. However, Mike Ashley seems determined to destroy the feel-good factor and he’s done a great job in doing that his summer.
You can read the Geordies thoughts on the Sels deal here:
That’s another truck load of Slazenger socks for Ashley #NUFC #IfRafaGoesWeGo
— Chris Whild (@whild13) 25 July 2018
So that's about £20m in sales that we SHOULD put towards a new striker, right?
— Sam Hamilton-Jones (@SamJonesWrites) July 25, 2018
Excellent. More money for Rafa not to get.
— The Big Toona (@toonintoonout) July 25, 2018
https://twitter.com/lRodneyTrotterl/status/1022052838019674113
More money to disappear
— Rob Nicholson (@rob_nicka) July 25, 2018
Net spend of around -£16.5m in this window so far. Fantastic !
— Aidan McAtominey (@AidanMcAtominey) July 25, 2018
That'll be another 50p into the transfer kitty.
— Murray White (@Muzza_90) July 25, 2018
Rafa will be able to buy a pack of football stickers with that. #AnyShiny
— Andy (@Conners_19) July 25, 2018
The situation at St James Park is dire but at least the fans are able to have a laugh over their current predicament.
