Magpies’ moves up the ante for Rafa
MIKE ASHLEY did something quite remarkable last Wednesday evening.
He got Deadline Day hard-bargainer Daniel Levy to stump up the full asking price for Moussa Sissoko.
The Tottenham chairman prides himself on being the master of the 11th hour deal.
But on this occasion, aided by a bidding war involving Everton, Ashley appears to have got the better of Levy in the game of brinksmanship and was able to pocket the £30m he wanted.
It was good money for the Frenchman, even in a transfer window where everyone was overpriced.
Back in January, had someone bid a quarter of that fee for the midfielder, Newcastle United fans would have snapped off their hand.
But after having a stinker of a season in which the Magpies were relegated, Sissoko became the surprise success of France’s Euro 2016 team, Ashley saw his chance to demand top dollar and held out until Levy uncharacteristically capitulated.
Cynics might suggest that it’s typical of Ashley to hang on for so long that the money couldn’t be spent by manager Rafa Benitez.
Until the Magpies banked Spurs’ cash, the summer window books had been perfectly balanced – £55m spent on 10 players, £55m received on 10 going out.
Now they have a nice little profit and have significantly reduced the salary bill with the departures of Sissoko, Daryl Janmaat, Fabricio Coloccini, Papiss Cisse, Andros Townsend, Steven Taylor and Georginio Wijnaldum.
Whether that turns out to be a wise policy is now purely down to the coaching skills of Benitez.
Ashley may congratulate himself of saving a few bob in wages and getting one over on the supreme negotiator. But if the Spaniard doesn’t get Newcastle into the Premier League, it will prove a false economy.
It’s a difficult balancing act for relegated clubs. They need to cut costs to reflect their new life in the Championship but their best chance of returning to the Premier League is always in the first season.
The value of promotion is estimated to be around £170m, so £30m is chicken feed.
The bottom line is the character of the player involved. Would he be prepared to fight to help undo the damage he’s partly responsible for?
In Sissoko’s case, that was never going to happen, so Ashley was right to take as much money as he could.
But the fans won’t forget that £30m. If the Magpies need it in January for a promotion push, it had better be there!