Newcastle United spent heavily throughout the summer transfer window, and are now in a fantastic position to bounce back to the Premier League.
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez
Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has spoken exclusively to the club’s official website and offered his assessment of the Magpies’ summer business.
The Spaniard oversaw an extremely busy transfer window on Tyneside with 12 arrivals including big-money signings Dwight Gayle and Matt Ritchie, whilst eight first-team players left the club on permanent deals, including Andros Townsend, who departed for Crystal Palace.
Benitez explained to nufc.co.uk how there was one player in particular whom he did not want to leave St James’ Park:
Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend
“With Andros, I wanted to keep him because he was exactly the type of creative player that we could build the team around, but football is not always as easy as that. He loved being at Newcastle but he wanted to play in the Premier League. We had to respect his decision.”
After Newcastle’s disastrous 2015/16 Premier League campaign culminated with their relegation to the Championship, Benitez has been given the remit of returning the North East outfit to England’s top tier immediately.
The former Real Madrid and Liverpool manager outlined how the club’s recruitment drive was focused on bringing in players who possessed the attributes required in order to succeed in the Championship:
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez
“The priority for us is that we get promotion this season, so we had to focus in the window on getting the right players for this division. The Championship is tougher and more physical. Players who already have experience in the Championship understand the way the game is played already.”
Newcastle have recovered well after a disappointing start to life in England’s second tier, and have strung together three consecutive league victories that has seen them rise to fourth in the table.
Tougher tests certainly lie ahead, and how far they can go will depend heavily on how many of their new signings hit the ground running.
Rafael Benitez
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