OPINION
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has been gifted the chance to keep Rafa Benitez at the club beyond this season and all he needs to do is spend £15million on Miguel Almiron.
The Sun reported on Friday that Benitez was desperate to sign the Atlanta United playmaker and that he will get an idea of Ashley’s ambition if he the owner opts to stumps up the £15million needed to get him.
When you consider that £15million wouldn’t break the Magpies’ current transfer record, which is £16million (Source: The Chronicle), then it’s practically a gift for Ashley that Benitez really wants a player with a price tag of that nature.
Normally £15million wouldn’t really go that far for a Premier League in the transfer market and given the size of the Magpies, it’s not asking a lot of Ashley to drop that sort of figure on one player.
This is especially the case when you consider that Benitez is right to be desperate to sign Almiron as the midfielder has scored 13 goals, while assisting 13 in the 35 appearances he has made in 2018.
Given that The Chronicle previously reported that Benitez wanted to ensure his ambitions could be met at the Magpies in order to sign a new contract to keep him at St James Park beyond the season, then surely the arrival of Almiron would convinced him.
As if the Spanish manager is desperate for the 24-year-old then clearly he believes he is a player worthy of seeing out his vision for the club.
This means that if Ashley pays out the very reasonable £15million it would take to sign him, The Sun claim the player is open to a move to England, then he could also seal Benitez’s long-term future.
