The transfer budget Benitez SHOULD have at his disposal with just 8 days left to sign..
by Olly Hawkins · 1 August 2018, 18:29
By Johnny Vintis
Assuming there is NO other money available to Rafa other than incoming transfers - what do we ACTUALLY have left to play with?
Here's what we know based on the five we've let go this summer and the five we've brought in:
Outgoings
Mitrovic - £22m
Sels - £4m
Mbemba - £6m
Merino - £10m
Colback - Loan
Sissoko - £6m (£30m fee paid in £6m instalment per year over 5 years - currently Year 3)
Total: £48m
Incomings
Dubravka - £3.6m
Ki - Free
Kenedy - Loan
Schar - £3m
Muto - £9.5m
Total - £16.1m
Differential Transfers: + £31.9m
As it stands, we have SHOULD have £32m to spend on transfers – and that’s WITHOUT the club/Ashley going into their pockets or using any of the money from the recent Premier League payment (£40-£50m) to back Benitez.
We were told a few weeks ago by Benitez himself that a ‘sell before you buy’ policy was now in place – but even this seems to be open for debate considering how reluctant we’ve been to spend despite several sales having gone through since then.
Yes we often seem to accept incoming payments in instalments, but these figures show than money WILL still be available and should be available after Ashley stated that ‘every penny the club generates’ would go to Rafa this summer – with it becoming clear that this was Ashley’s latest lie.
Rafa’s been left in a very awful position, but I do think he has improved the side so far. Talk of Gayle being involved in a swap deal (on loan) for Rondon wouldn’t upset me either, although it seems like even that may not be happening now!
You’d hope that £32m will be spent on a couple of players – with Rafa still wanting a striker, a number 10, a left-back and centre-back cover – but I can see another loan signing coming in.
Max Meyer could have been a brilliant option as a number 10 – being available on a free – but it seems he is off to the MIGHTY Palace, with them no doubt offering the big wages and signing on fees Ashley would simply not allow.
I trust Rafa and his judgement, I just wish those in charge of releasing funds and signing off deals did too. Instead we continue to penny pinch, undermine our world class manager and show no signs of any real ambition.
