RAFA’S DEMANDS
Benitez wants £100m Prem fighting fund from Ashley... and he will demand full authority to buy exactly who he wants
RAFA BENITEZ has been assured he will be backed with transfer cash ahead of crunch talks on his Newcastle United future.
The Magpies boss is set to ask for £100million to relaunch the club in the Premier League next season – with as many as seven new first-team players. But, more crucially, he wants control over who is bought so he is accountable for the side’s performance. Benitez (right, celebrating promotion with his players on Monday night) admitted there was still “work to do” before finalising his future. And he hopes that will include face-to-face talks with owner Mike Ashley soon. But senior club sources reassured Benitez and his team yesterday that he will be handed the scope to make United competitive in the top flight. The Spaniard is ready with a business case for players he wants to sign, including fees and wages and potential for their future. He is happy to bring through young players and add value, but also wants scope to bring in an experienced older head, if he sees fit. Newcastle backed Steve Mcclaren with £60m-plus of signings the summer before they went down. And Benitez is happy to raise cash by dismantling some of the squad he built for the Championship. He wants reinforcements in all areas, apart from goalkeeper, with a No.10style playmaker, and goalscorer high on the list. And the future of chief scout Graham Carr would be in doubt if Benitez is handed transfer power. Benitez has a strong hand and two years left on his contract on Tyneside. West Ham are his most interested suitor, but he would rather continue unlocking Newcastle’s potential. Keeper Rob Elliot has outlined the importance of keeping Benitez in charge and rebuilding. He said: “He deserves every plaudit. It’s been tough for him. “He’s come from Real Madrid to manage Newcastle in the Championship, expected to win the league, expected to go up without losing a game – and it doesn’t work like that. “He’s been brilliant, he’s kept himself calm and the players calm. “Being around the place, there is a much more positive atmosphere. When we have lost, we have bounced back straight away. “But the biggest thing is the connection between the fans and the players and the manager – it is back again. “Hopefully, we can just continue that because, when we are all together and the club is moving in the right direction, the whole city can be really special on nights like Monday.” He added: “Everyone said it would be an easy thing to do at the start of the season. “But for a group of young players – just put together, in a league that not that many of them know – to do what they have done is a brilliant achievement.”