Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has launched an attack on Newcastle owner Mike Ashley over his treatment of manager Rafa Benitez.
In his recent column in the Telegraph, the former England international put the controversial club owner on blast, claiming that Benitez is being wasted with the Magpies.
Carragher, who played under Benitez at Liverpool, believes that although the Spaniard is the best man to keep the Tyneside club in the Premier League, Ashley hasn’t shown the requisite ambition to warrant Benitez staying beyond his current deal.
Carragher also criticised Ashley for caring about survival and not progression, and chastised his lack of support of Benitez in the transfer market, saying the former Real Madrid coach can do no more.
In his column, Carragher wrote:
For a coach of Rafa Benítez’s pedigree to be treading water with no prospect of doing anything beyond retaining Premier League status is incomprehensible.
There is nothing more he can do at St James’ Park. Not without regime change, and that is not happening.
It would be fascinating to hear from Ashley what exactly his plan is for Newcastle. Not just this season, but beyond. Does he have one? Is there anyone sitting in his boardroom working out where the clubs needs and wants to go and how they intend to get there?
Other than the continued employment of Benítez, everything at St James’ Park smacks of zero ambition. Is there anyone at Newcastle drawing a list of managerial successors to Benítez when his contract expires in June?
Mike Ashley can’t afford to sack Benítez. Why would he anyway since he is the best man to keep them up and it would only rile disillusioned fans even further?
What kind of manager can Newcastle expect to lure once Benítez has gone? No-one of his calibre will go near the job given they know how little money has been spent on the team.
Newcastle turned a £20million profit in the summer window through player sales, and although Benitez was able to spend a little money, the £9.5million signing of Japan international Yoshinori Muto topped the club’s spending list.
On the subject of Benitez’ spending, and Ashley’s response to criticism of a lack of money spent, Carragher continued:
Ashley can argue Benítez is one of the highest paid managers in the Premier League so he has spent more than he is credited, but the transfer fees over the last four years and beyond paint a different picture.
The club came out of the last transfer window with £23.2 million profit at a time when they had to spending a minimum of £40 million net to improve the team – and that is a conservative estimate in the current era of spending.
Ashley has baulked at players salaries from the most moderately paid players by Premier League standards.
Newcastle is a club that used to dream of fighting with the top clubs for players, now they can’t even compete with promoted teams like Wolves and Fulham for the same targets. At the moment they are losing out to clubs like Burnley who are more willing to meet contract expectations.
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