Report: Rafael Benitez Insists Future Remains With Newcastle Even if Takeover Falls Through
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has reaffirmed his commitment to the club amidst the uncertainty surrounding the club's ownership takeover, saying the next few weeks are vital for the Magpies' future.
Amanda Staveley’s PCP Partners are currently negotiating with Newcastle to buy the club for £300m, which could see Benitez's £15m January transfer budget doubled, but the Spaniard insisted he was in for the long haul at St James' Park regardless of if the sale goes through or not.
Despite a disappointing summer transfer window and a rocky few weeks which have seen the Magpies win just one in their last seven, Benitez insisted he is committed to building a stronger squad - but he erred on the side of caution when discussing how much money the takeover could possibly inject into the club.
Speaking ahead of his side's game against Watford, Benitez said, via the Mirror: “I don’t know the [financial fair-play] figures of the club. I know it is not that you can say we will have £100m - no chance.
"What we know: we will not have too much money if it is a new ownership, and if it is the same one, the figures could be very similar.”
Although Benitez stressed that the ownership negotiations were not a distraction, he is hopeful that they will reach a conclusion quickly, stressing that either outcome would not single-handedly determine his future with the club.
He added: “I am quite happy with this group of players. They are improving and learning. So I think [I’ll be here]. I don’t see any difficult thing now.
“It is a challenge for me now. I was disappointed [in the summer], yes, but still it’s a challenge. At the moment, we do not know what will happen [with the takeover], so we have to carry on.
“So, you have a change in ownership and [people say] they will have millions to spend in January.
"But it is not a massive difference for us. We have to concentrate on try to improve the team, watching players, monitoring players - good players. Can they come? Can we pay the price?”
