Newcastle United Manager Rafa Benitez Hoping to Make More Signings Before the Start of the Season

Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is remaining hopeful that the club will be able to bring in some new faces before the end of the transfer window; despite the previous lack of funding offered by owner Mike Ashley.

The Toon's frugality in the transfer market has been a source of frustration for their loyal fans for many years, with owner Mike Ashley repeatedly unwilling to fork out sums for players. This is well evidenced by the fact that Newcastle's record transfer remains the £16m they paid for Michael Owen, 13 years ago.

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Benitez recently took aim at Newcastle's hierarchy with some controversial comments to the media, and has cut the figure of a man who is helpless in the transfer market when competing with teams who seem much more willing to spend money.

According to journalist Lee Ryder though, Benitez does seem hopeful that there will be some transfer activity before the window slams shut.

Though it's unclear who Benitez has in mind to add to his squad, Newcastle fans can take solace in the fact that they have a manager who isn't sitting idly by and letting Mike Ashley get away with avoiding putting his hands in his pockets yet again.

The Sports Direct boss has shown himself to be unwilling to fund Newcastle properly to put the club in a position to push up the Premier League table, and this latest disagreement with Benitez is simply the latest in a long line of financial disagreements with managers.