UK Edition
Newcastle United manager Rafael Beinitez resigned to lack of investment
Rafael Benitez appears resigned to the fact he will not have the squad he wanted at Newcastle United when he agreed to stay on as manager following a meeting with owner Mike Ashley after promotion.
The Spaniard no longer tries to hide his frustration and again hinted at broken promises, but does not appear ready to quit.
Benitez has been involved in a running battle all summer with Ashley and managing director Lee Charnley in an attempt to increase the transfer budget, but it looks as though it is a fight he has lost.
What that means for his long-term future at the club remains to be seen, but for now he is determined to make the best of a bad situation.
“My aim is trying to improve things,” said Benitez, whose side host West Ham this weekend still searching for their first win of the season. “So when I leave, whenever it is, I would like to be sure that the team and the football club will be better.
“Normally, managers talk about projects saying they need four or five years. I’m not talking about that, because you never know in football. But when we came here we knew there were some issues and we had to improve things.
“I am sure we have improved some things. But we need to improve more.
“The reality is that Mike [Ashley] was very clear in his [Sky Sports] interview. We are where we are. If you cannot pay £25 million and the commission and the wages for a top quality player, then you have to go to another kind of player.
“I could do two things. One, stay here and say ‘listen, we were not spending, doing this or that’, or take the risk. I will sign this player that I know is not in the 11 starters, but maybe will give us a back-up which we didn’t have last year.
“I am signing the players that I can, not the players that I want. The market is the market and the money available is the money available.”
Newcastle have discussed a potential loan move for striker Loic Remy, who has been told he can leave Chelsea.