Rafa’s priority to build team fit enough for the task in hand

FOCUS IS PRESENT, INSISTS MAGPIES BOSS

RAFA Benitez has revealed he built his current Newcastle United team with the sole objective of achieving promotion, stressing: “The present is the priority.”

Some Magpies supporters have discussed which of the current Newcastle squad would cut it in the Premier League, but Benitez insists he knew he could not fall into the same trap last summer.

The Spaniard brought in 12 players – including Grant Hanley and Daryl Murphy, both of who have vast Championship experience - and offloaded more than 20 of the Magpies squad who were relegated last season.

Only one team – Burnley – has achieved automatic promotion in the season immediately fol- lowing relegation, and Benitez believes some demoted clubs mistakenly attempt to recruit socalled ‘names’ from the Premier League, rather than Championship-hardened players.

Benitez decided to build a squad capable of achieving promotion this season – Newcastle are in the automatic-promotion places with three games remaining – and then he will make it top-flight-ready this summer.

“Every year the transfer window, when it is open, it is quite busy,” Benitez explained when asked about his strategy for building a team last summer.

“In this case, for a team who are relegated, you also have a problem.

“The players, they have a short memory of the Premier League. You think you cannot bring players who are not ‘good enough’ Rafa Benitez has brought in players like Grant Hanley and Daryl Murphy, inset opposite page, who have Championship experience for the Premier League.

“Then you start making the mistake of trying to sign ‘names’, because we are coming from the Premier League.

“You don’t realise that the Championship is so difficult, that’s why you have to bring in