Benitez relays brutal message when asked about a takeover, transfers & his future at NUFC..
Rafa Benitez says he is sick of 'wasting energy' talking about the transfer window, a potential takeover and his contract situation at the club - calling for everyone to focus on the team and stay 'united'.
Benitez has shut down several journalists in recent weeks when asked for some sort of transfer update, so todays frustrated and firy response was on the cards.
10 days into the window and we're yet to see a new signing arrive, with a takeover no closer to being completed either - so it seems Rafa is ready to put all the speculation aside and focus on events on the pitch.
Here's what he's had to say during his pre-Chelsea press conference today:
"I will not talk about the transfer window, I will not talk about names & I will not talk about the takeover. We are wasting energy on these things."
"We need to focus on the game. I could say it's a difficult window like other managers , but I prefer not to"
"I don't want to talk about players, I don't want to talk about takeovers, & I don't want to talk about me. I just want to talk about these players & our games"
These sound like the words of an incredibly frustrated man, but he makes a fair point. Takeover talk, transfer frustration and gossip about a contract he clearly won't sign until the first two things are sorted out really do nothing to help us right
Rafa then said the following when asked if he was downbeat about the club's current situation, with him urging fans to 'stick together' to help see us through over the coming months:
"I am not (downbeat) at the moment.
"It’s a big city & a big club. But when we stick together & are united we are better. The reality is that we have to stick together until the end. We have to carry on fighting, we will have problems, but we will do it"
"We have what we have, & we are where we are. We cannot analyse individual substitutions, decisions & everything all the time. If we do not have enough, we'll try to do something more. No it's not an ideal situation but the majority of fans understand the situation"
It's hard to feel confident about tomorrow's game against Chelsea, but that now has to be our main focus given there's so much talk and so little movement on the takeover and transfer talk.
Let's stick together and get behind Benitez and the boys. After all, it's all we can do right now as we wait for the club to sort their act out.
