He wants top flight
are scouting in Europe.
The reality is that given the prices being quoted and the wage demands there might not be many established players moving before the season actually kicks off. And Benitez is not prepared to let Newcastle’s squad stagnate: he wants new players in to lift the quality of the existing ones and that means getting new recruits in quickly.
What is equally fascinating is the way Benitez will adapt his system, tactics and approach for the Premier League challenge.
We know the United boss is obsessed with balance so he’s hardly likely to go hell-for-leather. But Benitez has made subtle changes wherever he has been: his Liverpool pressed high more than Newcastle did. Will we see United - who seem intent on bringing in more energy and pace this summer – adopt a quicker tempo for the Premier League?
Newcastle were behind the curve in their last Premier League season. Steve McClaren obsessed about possession and controlling the ball – but it was a year when Leicester swept all before them with a counter-attacking strategy that was utterly devastating.
Working out Benitez’s formula is going to be one of the most fascinating bits of the early weeks of next season. One thing is for sure: he will be working flat out this summer on ways to keep his Newcastle team ahead of the trends he’s noticed in the top flight this season.
The 2017/18 season represents a huge opportunity for Newcastle and this new-found urgency should quicken black and white pulses. Around this time in previous summers, Alan Pardew would have been in the pit-lane at the Monaco Grand Prix. By shunning the sun lounger, Benitez has made it clear he wants Newcastle on the fast-track to success.