OPINION
It’s important that if Newcastle United are to progress under their world class manager Rafael Benitez that they bring in greater quality this summer.
It seems that the Spaniard has the same idea. The Sun reported on Tuesday night that Benitez wants to bring his former Chelsea player Juan Mata to St James’ Park this summer.
The 31-year-old is out of contract with Manchester United at the end of June and so would be available to sign on a free. Despite that, the Magpies boss is surely kidding himself if he thinks this potential deal could ever get over the line.
Newcastle have a strict wage structure in place and have done for some time. Mata, on the other hand, is on around £140,000-per-week at Old Trafford, per The Sun’s report.
The Magpies’ highest earner at the moment is midfielder Jonjo Shelvey on just £70,000-per-week [Source: Spotrac], which is why this purported move for Mata will simply never happen.
Owner Mike Ashley is a stickler when it comes to transfer fees and the wage bill. He only recently broke the club’s transfer record, of course, and the fact that Shelvey is the team’s highest earner in this day and age of Premier League football is quite staggering.
Mata earns double what the former Swansea City man earns. So Benitez wouldn’t be asking Ashley to adjust his wage structure a little bit, he’d be demanding that he blows it out of the water. Can you see the Sports Direct tycoon agreeing to that? No, me neither.
While the Spaniard would undoubtedly be a phenomenal signing for Newcastle, his signing is a pipe dream at the moment.
