Rafa Benitez suggests Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has broken promises over transfers, arguing: ‘He knows what he told me’
Manager was promised every penny the club makes but now the Magpies' owner says they 'won’t generate enough' to compete with top teams
RAFA BENITEZ claims Mike Ashley has changed his stance on transfers, arguing: “He knows what he told me.”
The Newcastle boss held talks with owner Ashley in May and agreed to stay put after being promised he could spend “every last penny the club generates”.
But Benitez took that figure to mean much more than the £36.4million the Toon have spent so far this summer.
The Spaniard was therefore interested to hear Ashley say last week that “Rafa knows” the budget and that the club “won’t generate enough” cash to compete with top teams.
Benitez admits he did not actually sit down to watch the Sports Direct tycoon’s Sky Sports interview last Sunday night.
But he has read Ashley’s comments and, in reply, Benitez said: “He knows what he told me and what I was thinking.
“I know what he said and I know what the fans think about the interview.
“But I know if I keep talking about that, I will not change anything.
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“I cannot change what he said in the first meeting or the interview.
“And it will not change anything about my situation now and our situation in terms of the market, and what we have to do.
“My opinion about the interview, if I say this or that, it will not change anything.
“So I want to concentrate on the things that depend on me, that is to improve the team, to prepare the team and to approach the game with Huddersfield with the right mentality.”
Ashley was at St James’ Park on Sunday for Newcastle's first game of the season — a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham — and left without meeting Benitez.
But Rafa added: “It doesn’t change anything in terms of what I was doing.
“I have been dealing with managing director Lee Charnley for a year and a half.
“I met him when we were relegated and we needed to know how much money we had, and then when we were promoted.
“I do not need too much contact when I have Lee Charnley there.”
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