Rafa Benitez, Newcastle United and a stunning transfer record | OneFootball

Happy birthday to Rafa Benitez.

The Spanish maestro having turned 65 on Wednesday.

I thought this as good a time as any to have a look back at what happened with (permanent) transfers that were made with Rafa Benitez in charge at Newcastle United.

We all know that the Spaniard was starved of funds repeatedly by Mike Ashley despite the ‘every penny’ promises.

In the three years and six transfer windows, Mike Ashley not allowing him any net spend over the course of his time managing Newcastle United, the player sales more than covering the players who came in.

I make it 23 permanent signings Rafa Benitez made in total.

In his very first window, Benitez having to basically rebuild a team/squad that had been relegated and had a toxic combination of rats who couldn’t get away quickly enough from the ship they’d helped to sink, along with many players not fit for purpose.

Eleven permanent deals made in that first Rafa Benitez NUFC window, then only twelve across the next five, as Mike Ashley reneged on his promises as soon as it looked like Rafa had Newcastle on their way back to the Premier League, Ashley not even allowing any loan signings in January 2017.

JUNE 2016

Matz Sels (£5m)

JULY 2016

Dwight Gayle (£10m)

Matt Ritchie (£12m)

Jesus Gamez (£0)

Isaac Hayden (£4m)

Grant Hanley (£5m)

AUGUST 2016

Ciaran Clark (£5m)

DeAndre Yedlin (£5m)

Mohamed Diame (£5m)

Daryl Murphy (£3m)

Achraf Lazaar (£3m)

SUMMER 2017

MAY 2017

Christian Atsu (£6m)

JULY 2017

Florian Lejeune (£8m)

Jacob Murphy (£10m)

Javier Manquillo (£4m)

AUGUST 2017

Joselu (£5m)

OCTOBER 2017

Mikel Merino (£6.7m)

SUMMER 2018

MAY 2018

Martin Dubravka (£4m)

JUNE 2018

JULY 2018

Fabian Schar (£3.5m)

AUGUST 2018

Yoshinori Muto (£9.5m)

Federico Fernandez (£6m)

January 2019

Miguel Almiron (£20m)

CONCLUSIONS

CHAMPIONSHIP RECOVERY

I thought the sensible thing would be to split the signings into two groups.

As Rafa Benitez said himself back in summer 2016, first he would have to build a team to get out of the Championship AND then he would need to build a team to survive and then progress in the Premier League…

SUCCESS – Gayle, Ritchie, Hayden, Clark, Yedlin, Diame, Daryl Murphy

FAILURE – Sels, Lazaar

The successful signings are reflected in the fact that Newcastle United bounced instantly back as champions of the second tier.

The seven successes (in my opinion) all played their part in that promotion success and it was inevitable that one or two, out of so many signings, wouldn’t succeed, Sels and Lazaar failing to adapt to the English game, especially the physical nature of the Championship.

I wouldn’t count Gamez and Hanley as successes or failures, Rafa Benitez needed a squad and with others playing so well, this pair got very few games, plus injuries also played a part.

INTO THE PREMIER LEAGUE

SUCCESS – Atsu, Lejeune, Jacob Murphy, Manquillo, Joselu, Merino, Dubravka, Schar, Fernandez, Almiron

FAILURE – Muto

I would put Ki in the neither success nor failure category, he did an ok job as a free transfer.

A bit like Sels and Lazaar, Muto just never really looked like he could adapt to the game in England, with the exception of that game at Old Trafford, when for over an hour, the likes of Muto and Kenedy ran Man U ragged and went 2-0 up, cheated out of 3-0 and almost certain victory when the most blatant of penalties was missed by the match officials (if only we’d had VAR…).

With Mike Ashley reneging on the promises he had made to back Rafa Benitez once returning to the Premier League, it was very difficult that with such a desperate task just to survive due to the limited funds, to build for the future was all but impossible.

I find it amazing that in those circumstances, Rafa Benitez did what he did once in the Premier League with NUFC.

Atsu, Lejeune and Fernandez all did a good job and played their part in the survival task(s) but I wanted to concentrate on these other seven PL signings Rafa Benitez made.

Rafa spent £11.7m to buy Joselu and Merino. Joselu did an excellent job for Newcastle and Merino clearly had quality when playing, in a season affected by injury.

Anyway, for less than £12m Benitez bought two players who ended up playing for Spain. Joselu having an astonishing late career success with Real Madrid as he won both La Liga and Champions League, whilst Merino such a key figure as Arsenal go for their own chance of Champions League glory this season.

For a combined £7.5m, Rafa Benitez bought in Schar and Dubravka.

We all knew how clueless Steve Bruce was and his disgraceful treatment of Fabian Schar sums it up, Brucey preferring to play everyone ahead of the Swiss defender, even midfielder Isaac Hayden at times. Schar superb this season and has just signed another contract, whilst Dubravka seven years after first signing, has still shown his quality this season and played a big part in Pope’s absence.

The promising Almiron that Rafa Benitez had playing so well after at last allowed a sizeable (£20m) transfer spend, then  really showed his full ability under Eddie Howe after having been ‘Bruced’ for two and a bit wasted years.

Whilst Rafa Benitez clearly saw the potential in Jacob Murphy but I think initially it was all too much for him.

Only 22 when signing for the club he had always supported, I always felt that Murphy lacked the confidence and belief in his own ability in those first two seasons at St James’ Park, then he also had the millstone of Bruce as manager.

It has taken time, but with the help of Eddie Howe, wow!

Look at what a bargain Jacob Murphy was eight years ago, Rafa Benitez buying the raw talent for £10m that has developed into such a top talent later in his career.

Murphy right at the top of his game aged 30. It sometimes happens, some players have it all early in their career but then totally fade away, whilst others can take time and then it just really clicks, the talent and the confidence come together.

Jacob Murphy with now 22 direct goal involvements this season, already nine goals and thirteen assists. A key figure in both the Wembley triumph and in NUFC now favourites to take a Champions League spot. Murphy more than holding his own with truly world class talent such as Isak and Tonali.

So, Rafa Benitez made 23 permanent senior signings in his time at Newcastle United and by my reckoning, seventeen were successes, three failures and three where I don’t have any opinion either way.

For me, that is/was a quite stunning record and tribute to the job Rafa Benitez did at Newcastle in the most difficult of circumstances.

It isn’t just what his signings did for Newcastle United.

Rafa Benitez brought in certain players where through circumstances we just didn’t see the full extent of their talents whilst at NUFC. I already mentioned Joselu and Merino, but just look at Matz Sels, a young keeper who found it all to much dealing with the physicality of English football, however, now coming back to England and in stunning form with Forest this season.

His days with Newcastle United are of course at an end, however, his legacy lives on. Not just in the quality of the signings he made on such a tight budget, but the fact that he basically sacrificed his own career, by coming to Newcastle United so soon after leaving Real Madrid. Instead of then waiting for a high end normal job where he could have continued at the top end, he committed to doing his best for the Newcastle United fans and has paid a heavy price, with what has followed in the jobs he ended up doing after NUFC.

If Rafa Benitez hadn’t stayed on and signed a three year contract in summer 2016 after Mike Ashley had relegated United yet again, would Newcastle United still be where they are now? I think not. He saved the club at such a fragile moment, he gave the fans hope and self-respect, he reminded us that we could and should expect better than Mike Ashley. Rafa’s legacy ensured there was a club and underlying squad of some quality for the eventual new owners to inherit when just over 26 months after his (Rafa’s) departure, we at last got rid of Ashley.