Yoshinori Mutō (now playing for Vissel Kobe)

[joeyt]

I just always find it funny when people point out some of Rafa's bad buys when he was working with a terrible budget whilst managing to get us comfortable mid table.

 

For every Muto, he managed to get the best out of Gayle to get us out of the Championship and Rondon was absolutely brilliant

[joeyt]

"Rafa was great for us"

"Yeah but what about Lazaar"

"Ah yeah fair point he wasn't then"

[nbthree3]

39 minutes ago, Super Duper Branko Strupar said:

Wasnt it revealed in that Athletic article about transfer policy that Murphy was a club buy? Rather than Rafa? Not subscribed so only seen snippets. 

 

"Benitez was, on occasion, able to use this blueprint to strengthen, too. During the summer of 2017, after growing increasingly infuriated by his inability to convince the hierarchy to pay for his targets — even the free transfer of Willy Caballero was vetoed, partly because he was 35 —  he leapt at the opportunity to sign Jacob Murphy. The Norwich winger was hardly a priority target for Benitez but, because he was 22, available for an initial £10 million and deemed likely to appreciate in value, Newcastle were keen to acquire him and so the manager brought him in, in part, because it was a deal he was able to conclude."

[Beamish]

On 16/05/2021 at 19:33, BeloEmre said:

£10m ? 

Aye, cheers Rafa 

[Guest HTT II]

Just as well he didn’t pay for Muto out of his own money… now that would have been a huge waste!

[Kanji]

Had high hopes for him because he seemed a shifty, intelligent lad who had a nice eye for goal and could play between the lines - but didn't work out. Good luck to him, weird he just didn't go back to Germany but I'm sure he would rather go back home too. 

[Dinho lad]

There was a useful player in there somewhere. Good luck to him.