Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez admits transfer mistakes

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While the Magpies have made some brilliant signings this season, some have failed to live up to the hype.

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez

Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez has admitted that he’s made mistakes in recruiting players at St James’ Park this season, as reports the Shields Gazette.

While some of Benitez’s signings have been excellent – namely Dwight Gayle, Matt Richie, Ciaran Clark, DeAndre Yedlin and Daryl Murphy, others have not lived up to expectation, and have flopped despite Newcastle’s brilliant campaign.

Grant Hanley, Achraf Lazaar, Jesus Gamez and even Mohamed Diame and Matz Sels have all under-performed when they’ve featured this season, despite some coming with reputable reputations from elsewhere.

Benitez has taken responsibility for this however, and highlighted that signing players isn’t as easy as people make out, with numerous factors having to be taken into consideration after the player has signed along the dotted line.

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez

“When you sign players you make mistakes,” Benitez said, as reports the Shield Gazette. “It’s not like buying a piece of furniture and you say ‘I put that here’ and that is it.

“They have families, they have to be comfortable and in football you can only play 11 players – not the 27 that we have. People who are not involved cannot be happy all of the time.

“We have managed to keep the majority of them happy for a long, long time. Everyone has to accept they might not play but if we do well we will be successful together.”

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez shakes hands with Matt Ritchie after the game

Newcastle are still well on course to return to the Premier League at the first attempt, and find themselves leading the way in the Championship – although they’re level on points with second place Brighton and Hove Albion, with the Magpies ahead on goal difference.

Few will expect them to slip up on Saturday, as Benitez’s side face a Birmingham City side on a truly horrendous run of form that’s seen them go from chatting up the play-offs to flirting with relegation.