Some Newcastle United fans look back on Rafa Benitez’s time at the club with very few memories, but others believe he was a saviour who provided a shining light during a dark time.
It takes a lot of courage for a Champions League manager to agree to stay on after relegation to the Championship, but the Spaniard had been gripped by the passionate St James’ Park fans who begged him to stay on the final day of the 2015/16 campaign.
Newcastle United did not make it look easy, but they achieved promotion back to the Premier League and kept them in the top flight for two more seasons before walking away from the club after a fallout with Mike Ashley.
Rafa Benitez should be given his flowers for starting the process of Amanda Staveley’s work to take over Newcastle after he invited her to St James’ Park for a game against Liverpool in 2017. Had it not been for that game, the Magpies may have sunk down the divisions or even worse.
It is fair to say that Benitez did not end on good terms with former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley or sporting director Lee Charnley. There was one decision that proved to be the tipping point for Benitez which caused him to walk.
Mike Ashley did not want to improve Newcastle United’s training ground
Pre-takeover, Newcastle’s training ground was known to fans as one of the worst in the Premier League due to its outdated facilities. Many fans will remember the iconic picture with players standing in a wheelie bin full of ice water because they did not have an ice bath.
It was bad, but PIF have made improvements since 2021 to bring the quality of it up. It was also announced in May that Newcastle’s Darsley Park training ground was getting further refurbishment to provide more facilities and space for the players and the academy.
Those changes were originally requested by Benitez, who had worked for the likes of Inter Milan and Real Madrid at the time, so he knew what high-quality training facilities were. Unfortunately, Ashley rejected his request and a separate demand to improve Newcastle’s academy investment.
| Managerial statistics at Newcastle United | Rafa Benitez |
| Games | 146 |
| Wins | 61 |
| Draws | 32 |
| Defeats | 53 |
| Win percentage | 42.5% |
Speaking in a column for The Athletic in 2019, Benitez shared what really happened between him and Newcastle to make him leave.
“I tried to do my best every day, even staying when we went down to the Championship and saying no to other offers – bigger offers than the one I recently accepted with Dalian Yifang, by the way,” he said.
“If I was only interested in moving ‘for money’, as Charnley stated, I could have done it much earlier.
“Newcastle’s board had a year to sort out my contract but, when we met after the end of last season, they didn’t make me a proper offer.
“They told me they didn’t want to invest in the academy or the training ground – if they like, I can explain the reason why Mike Ashley refused to do that.
“After that meeting, I knew they would not come back with a serious offer and, when it arrived, 19 days later, it was for the same salary as three years earlier and with less control over signings.
“After three years of unfulfilled promises, I didn’t trust them.”
Newcastle United are in the process of building a new training ground
After decades at Darsley Park, PIF have decided that it will eventually be time to move elsewhere and start fresh.
Last November, it was revealed that Newcastle want to build a new training ground, but there were internal frustrations over how long it was going to take for it all to be completed. It is believed the training ground will cost around £200m, something PIF can afford to spend with ease.
It was then stated that Newcastle are looking to build a new training complex and are currently looking at locations for the project to take place. The new training ground project will be fronted by Populous, who had a hand in building the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
While work is advancing for the new training ground, it is not expected to be done anytime soon. In fact, it was reported that Newcastle’s new training ground will not be ready for several years, so fans will have to wait to see what PIF can come up with.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
