OPINION
Rafa Benitez is reportedly involved in a standoff with the Newcastle United board over signing a new contract which is having a negative effect on the club’s ability to do transfers.
The Shield Gazette reported on Monday that the Magpies boss was understood to be frustrated over the slow talks regarding his new deal and it’s easy to see why.
Not only have these discussions been going on a while, all Benitez wants according to the newspaper is a clear funding plan laid out before him so he knows the type of players he can target in the transfer market.
As soon as he is assured that he is getting a competitive budget then he’ll pen a new long-term contract to stay at St James Park for the foreseeable future.
Yet the situation is being allowed to drag on and on and worryingly the Shield Gazette’s report claimed that it was now threatening to delay the club’s summer transfer business.
The Magpies act slow enough as it is, seen in recent transfer windows, so for there to be even the hint of a delay to business being conducted is damaging to the club beyond belief.
Even more so when the window is dramatically shorter than usual with it closing before the Premier League starts, as it shuts on August 9, as stated by the BBC, instead of the end of the month.
Several new arrivals must be welcomed to the Magpies this summer for them to achieve at least a comfortable finish in the Premier League and without fresh faces another relegation battle is certainly on the horizon.
It was previously stated by the Chronicle that Benitez’s unresolved future wouldn’t halt transfers occurring but clearly the situation has changed as there seems to be no end in sight to the boss’ contract talks at this point.
While a simple a deal for goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was able to be completed recently, that bit of business seems like all someone had to do was tick a few boxes as all the hard work had previously been done in January.
Hopefully Mike Ashley ends this pointless standoff soon and informs the genius Magpies manager what his budget is as the longer he doesn’t do that, the more damaging it is to the club’s 2018/19 campaign.
