Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez is unlikely to receive funds in January from Mike Ashley unless their Premier League status looks compromised, according to Chronicle journalist Chris Waugh.
In a Q&A session on the Chronicle website, the reliable reporter revealed that even though the Sports Direct tycoon would ideally like Benitez to remain as manager, it is not likely that he will part ways with much of his cash in the next transfer window as he is happy to just “survive” in the top-flight.
Waugh adds that if the Magpies are in an incredibly compromising position in January, Ashley will then loosen his purse strings.
“Personally, I think it depends on how the next few months work out. If Newcastle are in serious trouble by January, then I think United will spend a decent amount in the transfer market – just as they did during the mid-season windows in 2013 and 2016 when they were in perilous positions,” he said in the Q&A [12.48pm].
“My view – and this is very much a personal deduction – is that Ashley is merely happy to survive and, although he would like Benitez to stay in order to help maintain the current valuation of the club, he is unlikely to sanction a significant January spend unless Newcastle’s top-flight status really does appear in serious danger.”
OPINION
Newcastle fans will no doubt be extremely disappointed by this latest revelation on their owner Mike Ashley. You would have thought that witnessing Newcastle’s lack of quality against Crystal Palace a few weeks ago would have spurred him on to reach deeper into his pocket, but that now does not seem to be the case. It is rather sad that he is an owner who would rather see his club just about survive in the Premier League compared to thriving. It is usually on the agenda of most owners to invest to ensure that their side has the best players, but Ashley does not seem care for this type of thing. However, it does matter to the Newcastle fans. They want their team to do more than just survive – so his current stance is extremely unfair on them at the moment. If this revelation is anything to go by, United’s Premier League days look numbered.
