What Newcastle fans would give to splash £100 million this summer. The Geordies have spent very little in the Mike Ashley era and Rafa Benitez has long been left to feed off scraps, wheeling and dealing in the transfer market. However, The Mirror has claimed that if Benitez signs a new two-year deal he’ll be given a healthy £100 million to splurge.
This says Rafa will have £100m, plus player sales if he signs up for another two years… #nufc https://t.co/q9CvTimY0h
— NUFC 360 (@NUFC360) 6 May 2019
Whilst on the face of things this seems to be a positive update for the Geordies, there are simply too many loopholes for this claim to come to fruition. For one, there is no statement that says the £100 million is for this summer alone, and a lot of the Magpies have read into it that Rafa will be given the nine-figure sum over the two years of the contract, working out at a meagre £25 million per window.
Even if that isn’t the case, Rafa Benitez is smart enough to know that Mike Ashley isn’t the most trustworthy man in the world. Verbal promises mean little to the Sports Direct owner and unless Benitez can get it in writing then there are no guarantees that he’ll get anything in terms of a summer kitty for some shiny new signings. Whatever happens, if Benitez does get the money, the supporters will have to see it to believe it.
You can read the Magpies’ verdict on Benitez’s supposed £100 million here:
I read that as £100m for the two years, which is probably more likely.
— Jake Jackman (@JakeJackmann) May 6, 2019
£100m over two seasons??? If that is the case there is no chance he signs. £25/transfer window is a joke.
— Zack Pensak (@ZPensak) May 6, 2019
Since when has Ashley kept a promise?
— Paz (@ianparry9) May 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/LewisWill113/status/1125451959912357890
https://twitter.com/LiamNUFC1998/status/1125433426050416642
https://twitter.com/caomhanach/status/1125450491952095232
£100m to cover 4 transfer windows then
— Graeme Cross (@GraemeCross1) May 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/Davey176/status/1125523917500833793
If it’s for 2 seasons and 4 windows, £25 million plus any player sales. Could get a couple of decent players
— Luke (@_nufcLuke) May 6, 2019
50m each year over two years really isn’t that much
— Rob Salter (@RobSalter9) May 6, 2019
https://twitter.com/NUFCJeff7/status/1125434744135614465
What does 100 million mean to us though ?
100 million net – impressive
100 million after we’ve sold 6-7 players – not impressive
100 million including wages?— Dell (@agbnufc) 6 May 2019
The Geordies have little faith in Ashley keeping his word, and even if he does, £25 million per transfer window isn’t going to be making waves in the current transfer market.
