Graeme Souness has blasted Newcastle United for failing to move forward in the summer transfer window and believes that Rafa Benitez’s job has been made harder by Mike Ashley’s lack of investment.
Newcastle made a £26.2million profit in the summer [Chronicle] as they made more money on transfers than any other club in the Premier League, despite having one of the weaker squads.
Former Magpies manager Souness has predicted that the Tyneside club will just about avoid relegation this season, but believes that Benitez is under a lot of pressure to turn things around after their winless run continued with defeat against Brighton on Saturday.
“That tells its own story, given inflation in football. It tells you that they’ve not had the kind of investment that a club of that size deserves, knowing the turnover they have. They should have done better in the transfer market,” said Souness in a rant about Newcastle’s spending on Sky’s Monday Night Football, as quoted on the Sky Sports website.
“It’s not impossible to do well in the Premier League without spending hundreds of millions, but you have to invest. Everyone else is investing, and if you’re not investing, you’re standing still.”
When asked it Newcastle will avoid relegation, he added: “Just. It’s a new experience for [Benitez], I imagine, as desperate as this. It is a hard place to play when things are not going well, to keep wanting the ball under pressure. It is difficult.
“I just think it is compounded by the ownership issue, the lack of investment. It would be far easier being in a dog fight at a lesser club, without so much pressure on you.”