Are Newcastle in serious danger of losing Rafa Benitez as yet another frustrating transfer window rumbles on?
Rafael Benitez, manager of Newcastle United, during the The Emirates FA Cup Third Round match against Luton Town.
Now 12 days into the window, the Magpies have not signed a single player despite Benitez wanting to strengthen in a number of key areas and specifying last month that he wanted all signings to have been made by January 20.
Owner of Sports Direct and Newcastle United, Mike Ashley, arrives at the High Court in central London.
“I have confidence that Mike Ashley will deliver what we need to stay in the Premier League before January 20, to be sure that we have time to work with the new players,” the Spaniard said in December.
That confidence is surely dissipating and having suffered similar frustrations over the summer due to owner Mike Ashley’s unwillingness to spend on the playing squad, how long will Benitez put up with this inaction?
A year ago it was a similar story and as the Telegraph reported after the last window closed on September 1, the 57-year-old has become disillusioned with Ashley’s lack of ambition and broken promises.
Rafael Benitez, manager of Newcastle United, looks on prior to The Emirates FA Cup Third Round match against Luton Town.
The only hope was that Newcastle would be sold, yet a deal was previously expected before Christmas but now looks unlikely to happen before the window shuts.
Benitez is a hugely popular figure at St James’ Park among the fans and it is believed that with the right backing he could establish the North East outfit as a top ten club, but that backing doesn’t look forthcoming and if the former Chelsea and Liverpool boss were to leave he certainly wouldn’t be short of job offers.
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