In March 2016 Rafael Benitez was appointed manager of Newcastle United.
Benitez was handed 10 games to try and keep the club in the Premier League, but was
unable to prevent Newcastle slipping into the Championship.
On May 25, it was confirmed Benitez would remain at St James’ Park even though the
club would be competing in the second tier.
Benitez, a keen and diligent planner, had already begun preparation for the upcoming
season, which included a list of potential targets.
Using the final 10 games to assess his squad, Benitez wasted no time in moving on as many
of the club’s high value assets as possible.
By late July, Newcastle had banked close to £40 million from the sales of Georginio Wijnaldum,
Remy Cabella and Andros Townsend, as well as shifting significant salaries from the
wage bill, including: Papiss Cissé and Fabricio Coloccini.
While some sales — like Andros Townsend — were forced due to a contract clause,
Benitez opted to remove players that either did not fit his 4-2-3-1 style,
or that did not have the fight he knew would be needed for the 46 game
Championship season, such as Moussa Sissoko, who was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £30million
in late August.
Despite being given close to £50million of the £75million raised to invest in the squad,
Benitez adopted a clearly defined and prudent transfer strategy, and attempted
to sign Premier League ready players whenever possible.
Dwight Gayle had performed well in the Championship with struggling Peterborough United, and also
shown a solid, if not spectacular, goal return while in the
Premier League with Crystal Palace.
More importantly though, he fit neatly into Benitez’s system, with Gayle able to not
only play as a poacher, but also run the channels, and pressurize centre-backs.
The other big money acquisition — Matt Ritchie — was a direct replacement for Townsend.
Ritchie had not only been a central figure in Bournemouth’s promotion
campaign in 2015-2016, but was also industrious and more than capable of
handling the demands of Championship football.
A theme of Benitez’s acquisitions, 6 of the 12 players he signed for the
Magpies had played Championship football within the last three seasons.
One of those six was Isaac Hayden.
The youngster had shown glimpses of potential at Hull City in the previous season,
and provided a low risk option at just £2.5million.
Furthermore, the former centre-back could play a variety of positions
including right-back and central midfield.
Benitez, unlike his predecessors, sought to achieve a squad with depth that could facilitate
a rotation policy, with only two of his summer signings — goalkeeper
Mats Selz and defender Jesus Gamez — failing to make at least 10 league
appearances..
Exemplified by the signing of 34-year-old Daryl Murphy from Ipswich, such an acquisition
would not have been allowed previously, with Newcastle almost
exclusively targeting players under 26-years-old.
Compared to fellow relegated side Norwich City, who opted initially to make few squad
changes, Benitez accepted his current squad was not fit for Championship
football or the 4-2-3-1 system he preferred.
Conducting a squad overhaul is only part of the reason for the club’s promotion though.
Aston Villa underwent a similar set of changes, with Roberto Di Matteo adding
9 new faces in the summer window.
However, the key difference between the two clubs was timing.
The Spaniard did his business early, with every member of his most used starting XI
already at the football club by August 3.
By comparison, Villa most used XI contained just six players at the football club
by the same date.
Admittedly, not all of Benitez’s signings have been successful, with talk already circulating
that Sels and Achraaf Lazaar — signed for a combined £7million — could
leave the club in the summer.
A small price to pay for promotion at the first time of asking, Benitez showed diligence
in rebuilding Newcastle, and helping them back into the Premier League
ahead of an exciting summer on Tyneside.