LEAGU PREMIERE
have in black and white on Saturday, and every matchday thereafter home or away.
“Doing good business in a transfer window is about ending the window clearly stronger than when you started and we believe we have done this.
“The view we all share is that we have a better squad now than the one that finished 10th last season and all involved have worked tirelessly to make this happen.”
The Magpies go into this lunchtime’s game against Spurs with one of the least expensive squads in the Premier League.
Benitez had hoped major investment this summer would have allowed him to set his sights higher than merely survival.
But with Ashley preferring to plough £90m into buying the House of Fraser department stores out of administration yesterday rather than into the club he bought 11 years ago, Benitez was starved of the funds he wanted.
Benitez is into the last 12 months of his contract and says he is happy at Newcastle but his relationship with Ashley is not a good one and talks with Charnley have barely got off the ground so far.
Asked, just hours before the joint statement was issued, if meetings are arranged, he said: “The time to talk about that was before.
“If we have to talk about a possible extension, we will talk but now is not the time.”
Benitez admitted the season is all about survival. “I will be realistic and say our objective is to stay up,” he said.
“Because we finished 10th, everyone can think ‘they were great’ but the difference between 10th and 15th was only a couple of points.
“We are finished with the transfer window and now we have to bring the best from our players.
“But we have to be lucky with injuries. Some of the players we have brought in are quality – Dubravka, Kenedy. Then to get Muto and Rondon, it could be crucial.
“We have improved a little bit or at least we have bought players who can do a job for us. Maybe we can get better but the other teams will also be better.
“During the summer, you have to try to improve your squad as much as possible; as soon as you are finished, you have to concentrate on football. The fans will think, ‘Rafa will be upset’ or this or that, but this is not the time for that.” MAURICIO POCHETTINO joked he has had to change the way he refers to Hugo Lloris now he is a World Cup winner.
Lloris returned to Tottenham training on Monday, 22 days after captaining France to World Cup glory in Russia.
And Spurs boss Pochettino hopes the success of his goalkeeper and Golden Boot winner Harry Kane will rub off on their team-mates.
Pochettino said: “Hugo is in a very good mood, of course it’s impossible not to be in that way.
“It’s difficult to manage him, eh? You cannot talk to him in the same way as before. Now he says, ‘I am World Champion!’
“No, it’s unbelievable because he’s so humble.
“Now we have the captain who is the world champion, the one who lifted the trophy. That is, I think, a fantastic experience for him to translate to our team. We have the Golden Boot winner too in Harry, who is so disappointed because he says to me he should have scored more goals. But you know it’s good.
“It’s good that they feel that we are all together, the same team as last season.
“We can all fight for big things and show to everyone we have a very good squad and the players can still improve.”
In total, Spurs had nine players involved in the semi-finals in Russia – more than any other team.
That has handed Pochettino a dilemma ahead of the season opener at Newcastle today as they only returned to training this week.
Pochettino said: “Because we had a lot of players involved until the end of the World Cup and then it was a tough decision whether to provide holidays or not, 20 days or 15 days or 10 days.
“Newcastle, of course, in this period have an advantage to us in their preparation with the whole squad, but that is not a reason to complain.
“We’re not a victim in that situation. We need to adapt ourselves and try to be competitive.
“I’m sure we’re going to be competitive. I’m surprised about that atmosphere and about that energy.
“The coaching staff and everyone deserves full credit. We deserve quality time together and it’s important they feel happy to be here again and spend time with us.
“We will reach the same level of energy and attitude and I’m sure that we will be available to win the game.”