OPINION
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is still yet to sign a new contract at St. James’ Park, but all the signs point towards a positive conclusion to talks with club bosses.
Attention can now turn to the summer transfer window and the endless possibilities for the Magpies as Benitez sets about building a squad capable to challenge on multiple fronts.
The Spaniard has reportedly been given the financial guarantees he needed to stay on, and that is a massively encouraging sign for everyone involved at Newcastle.
However, as raised perfectly by former Magpies striker Micky Quinn, that is not all that needs to happen on Tyneside this summer.
In a column for the Chronicle, he said: “What Rafa Benitez must be allowed to do this summer is spend his budget how he sees fit. He’s earned the right for that sort of power because of what he has done this season. If he gets a budget of £60m, and decides he wants to spend that on two players, then great. They’re the players he wants and they’re the players he should be able to go out and get.
“We’ve seen the squad been bulked up with bargain basement signings, paying £4-5m here and there. The issue there is, you may get one out of half a dozen who work out. United need quality this summer and Benitez needs the freedom.”
The key here is not only giving Benitez the money, but allowing the mastermind to wheel and deal in the way that he sees fit.
He is the man who knows his team inside out, and he must therefore be given the power to spend the money granted to him in the right way to take the club forward.
There is little point in saying he can spend £60million this summer when there is the extra caveat of that money having to go towards four or five players.
That massively restricts the movements that Benitez can make in the market and the club will inevitably end up in a similar position to that they found themselves in last summer.
The Magpies simply cannot afford to be so complacent again in the market this time around, and that involves allowing Benitez complete freedom with the allocated funds.
This is one of the best managers in world football, and there is no reason at all that he should not be trusted to spend the club’s money in the right way.
Mike Ashley must recognise this in the coming days and hand over the reins to the Spaniard, who is the club’s best hope of returning to the big time in the near future.
If he does not do so, then the consequences for Newcastle could be disastrous, with the possibility increasing that Benitez would walk away to leave the club in dire straits.
