Newcastle United have completed their first signing of the summer with Martin Dubravka joining on a permanent basis.
The Magpies enjoyed a fantastic end to their first season back in the Premier League. A stunning second-half of the campaign helped them to a 10th place finish that certainly did not look to be on the cards during the early months of the campaign.
And it is arguably their early season form that should convince Benitez to target big changes this summer, especially with the warning that came with previously-established clubs like West Brom, Stoke and Swansea falling into the Championship.
And it appears that Benitez does indeed have major plans for this window, with the Chronicle reporting that he is eyeing five more deals in the wake of Dubravka’s £4 million permanent switch to St James’ Park. A new right-back, central midfielder, winger and centre-forward are amongst the positions that he wishes to strengthen.
The Chronicle adds that Benitez is initially working with £40 million, while the club will bag £50 million from television money and the transfer kitty could be topped up further by potential player sales.
Given that he has already signed a goalkeeper and has a new midfielder and striker on his radar, it does appear that Benitez is looking to bolster the spine of the Magpies’ side this summer.
The Newcastle hierarchy should have absolutely no qualms about backing the Spaniard in the market either. Benitez has proved to have a fantastic eye for a player – the Toon Army would have been forgiven for feeling somewhat indifferent about the loan deals for Kenedy and Dubravka in January – and supporting the boss could not only help Benitez see the potential at St James’, but may also give Newcastle a squad that could build on their sensational top-half finish.
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