Rafa already talking about next season

The Chronicle are reporting that Rafa is already talking about next season... a big positive for me on severa fronts... after recent press speculation....

Here is the article.... to save you navigating the Chronicle click bait minefield......



Ruthless Rafa Benitez is ready to overhaul his Newcastle United squad in the summer – with several high-profile players under threat IF the Magpies go up.

Aleksandar Mitrovic is the most high-profile player in the firing line, with the striker attracting interest from Italy and Germany and his advisors putting out feelers for a potential move in the summer after a season of frustration.

Benitez is hoping to build a team to challenge in the top flight if United clinch promotion and will seek talks with Mike Ashley in April over a budget and recruitment remit.

Benitez is likely to have other options in the summer but likes United and believes there is potential if he’s backed. And he believes there is a way for United to make money AND challenge – seeking to convince Ashley of that fact if the owner is ready to talk.

Rafa Benitez only drawing up one transfer plan, regardless of what division Newcastle United are in

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Newcastle United's Manager Rafa Benitez (Photo: Newcastle United)
There is an understanding on his part that players will have to be sold to generate income too – and their challenge is to convince Benitez they’ve got a role to play.

The Spaniard wants his squad to step up and show they are top flight quality. He’s been impressed with Mitrovic’s greater application and discipline of late – feeling refs and opposition players give him a hard time – but knows United will need more of a threat if they return to the top flight and the simple fact is he is one of the club’s more saleable assets.

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Benitez wanted ALL hands on deck and told the club not to entertain interest in Yoan Gouffran, Matz Sels, Chancel Mbemba and Mitrovic in January. But that may change in the summer, with Benitez prepared to push through big changes if he feels backing is there.

 

Mitrovic would be no loss whatsoever, let hope this comes to fruition and Ashley doesn't **** it up, fingers crossed but worry that he will.

 

Are there any direct quotes from Rafa himself? Or is it just a typical newspaper 'story' to fill an empty column?

 

Players will have to be sold to generate income... I'm hoping that means we flog the folks we signed for the Championship like Murphy, Hanley, Diamé and Lazaar, plus move Colback and Mitro on, potentially Ayoze too though I'd prefer to keep him. Then Ashley needs to be convinced that the £20-30m we get for that lot will need doubling if we're to survive and compete in the PL.

 

If we sell all of those we will need not only 7 replacements of better quality (costing probably about £100M unless we can find cheap foreign alternatives) and on top of that we will then need the extra players (probably another 8)

I would get rid of Hanley and Colback. Mitro/Ayoze depending on how much we get for them. Diame would be a good enough sub for the first season and Murphy would be a 'good enough' 4th striker. Dummett needs to be banished once we get to the PL therefore we need to keep Lazaar.

 

Lazaar is not getting enough game time to suggest he's being considered much more than injury cover for Dummett. If we do shift Dummett, which I think is actually really unlikely, we'll need a new signing there as well.

I take your point on Diame and potentially Murphy, but we'd be more likely to get decent money for them this year than next, selling to teams who missed out on the playoffs or just went down.

 

However, Diame is certainly at the moment almost a first team player so if we sell him we need to spend 3x as much to get one of better quality and we will then need a back up so that will probably cost us the same amount as Diame if not more. As for Murphy, there is no re-sell with him - we will never get anyone in to cover 4th striker and it is unfair on Armstrong to do this as it will stunt his growth.

 

We have no best players to sell and if we don't but some we'll get relegated

 

Have to admire your honesty



Captainchaos went for a job

Interviewer "What do you think is your biggest weakness"

Captainchaos " Honesty

Interviewer " I don't think honesty is a weakness "

Captainchaos " I don't give a f uck what you think "

 

I think the following will need offloaded:

Diame, Gouffran, Colback, GK (one of them has to go, maybe even two if Woodman is ready), Haidara, Hanley, Murphy, De Jong, Sameobi, Riviere, Good, Saivet, Thauvin

I'd keep the rest and add a centre back, left back, defensive midfielder, No.10, winger, and striker

 

Sell our loan players and gouff. Colback won't be going cos who's buying? If we go up tho I'm failing to see the point of absolutely decimating a team that had the confidence to go up, Burnleys season being an example. We had a team that had far better quality and played ten times worse last season!
Im Gunna be crapping myself for April, if Benitez doesn't get what he wants he won't be the man held responsible for relegation, we need 50 mil for summer at least and even that would require some astute business being done.

 

Only slight disagreement is Diame. He signed up for three years, is retiring from national football and does have the odd moment. He's better than Sissoko.

As for the rest, only Gouff's played a lot but he's out of contract. Colback's fallen off a cliff, Selz isn't a goalkeeper, the rest don't play enough. Murph's done ok, but he's our Sibierski, good for the odd goal but we've got to have better back up (or starting) next year.

No idea what's going to happen - if Mbemba's back to top form, do we need another CB? At our level? Maybe we do. Left back is a must, if Lazaar cannot cut it, Dummett should really be a decent CB cover. DM is the big one for me; hardest to find, but we need a very competent destroyer. We're either playing 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 under Rafa so cannot possibly rely on Hayden.

No. 10 is so expensive to find, but also important. I'd sell Perez to get one. Diame isn't one either. Left winger (Townsend) is also important. Striker's going to be really tough - Gayle's going to want a shot back in the big time, Mitro is an enigma, Arma is back.

 

I think Diame is ****

 

Rafa's call, though, mate! There's no qualms in upgrading peripheral players with better, but it's likely Mo's had an impact on the dressing room. It's the same reason Dummett seems to just keep surviving, I reckon.

 

I am going to hunt you down and place a bullet............................................................................................

 

He can be and too often, but he also has his moments of producing quite good stuff. I think he'd be a good player to have in the squad in the prem, at least for the first season, because he can play CM or no 10 and because we can't replace everybody in one go, both finance-wise and also team stability-wise. We do need a better no 10 in the prem though, no question. I'd keep Diame over Perez though.