Former Liverpool, Newcastle, Chelsea and Valencia head coach Rafael Benitez.Former Liverpool, Newcastle, Chelsea and Valencia head coach Rafael Benitez.
Former Liverpool, Newcastle, Chelsea and Valencia head coach Rafael Benitez. | Getty Images.
One of Newcastle United's Carabao Cup heroes caused a rift between the Magpies former manager and owner.
The Carabao Cup is back on Tyneside just days after Newcastle United ended their 70-year wait for major domestic silverware with a Wembley win against Premier League title favourites Liverpool.
A first-half header from local hero Dan Burn and a second-half strike from top goalscorer Alexander Isak put Eddie Howe’s side in control and they held on for a historic win despite Federico Chiesa giving the Reds some hope of forcing the game into extra-time. The scenes that greeted the full-time whistle will live long in the memory as the Magpies were confirmed as winners of the competition traditionally known as the League Cup for the first time in their history.
There were heroes across the pitch for United as full-back duo Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento produced solid displays, midfielders Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes were controlled and classy and wingers Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes provided threat from out-wide. But in the heart of it all was Joelinton as the Brazilian powerhouse provided energy and strength in abundance to help his side to major silverware and continue to solidify his place in the hearts of United supporters.
That is all a far cry from the former Hoffenheim star’s difficult introduction to life on Tyneside as he struggled to find form following a £40m move to Tyneside during the summer of 2019. Then a misfiring forward, Joelinton looked unable to meet the demands of the Premier League and struggled to find the net during his first years at St James Park. Eddie Howe’s arrival in November 2021 and an unfortunate red card shown to defender Ciaran Clark during a home draw with Norwich City kickstarted his transformation into an all-action midfielder and fully-fledged Brazilian international.
However, one of Joelinton’s old United team-mates has claimed the £40m club record move would not have been completed had former Magpies manager Rafa Benitez remained in charge at St James Park after he disagreed with a deal that had been authorised by former owner Mike Ashley.
Ex-Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle told The Open Goal Podcast: “I only saw him (Ashley) once, we just went out for food. We went out for a dinner, we weren’t doing so well as a team and he took us out for food. He was a normal East End London guy. Rafa wouldn’t have liked Mike because he wanted to improve the team with finances and stuff. I think his contract came up (to an end) and for the previous year he was adamant he wanted to (improve) and as soon as he left, we signed Joelinton because Rafa didn’t want to sign him. Then Steve Bruce came in and he automatically made that signing and I don’t think Joelinton started too well so the fans hated it even more. Then with Mike Ashley, it was like Steve Bruce was his puppet.”
It was Benitez who originally brought Gayle to Tyneside as the Spaniard identified the then-Crystal Palace striker as the man to fire his side back into the Premier League following relegation into the Championship in 2016. Gayle rose to the challenge and plundered his way to 23 goals in 34 appearances as the Magpies pipped Brighton and Hove Albion to the second tier title on the final day of the campaign.
After finding the net on six occasions during United’s return to the top flight, Gayle joined West Bromwich Albion on a unique season-long swap deal that saw Venezuela international Solomon Rondon move to Tyneside. However, no permanent deal was forthcoming for either player and Gayle returned to Newcastle in the same summer Bruce was named as Benitez’s successor and remained on Tyneside until the end of the 2021/22 season when he joined Stoke City on a free transfer.
Dwight Gayle and Steve Bruce. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)Dwight Gayle and Steve Bruce. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Dwight Gayle and Steve Bruce. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The striker, who is now playing for Scottish Premiership side Hibs, joked about his loan departure from Newcastle and admitted he and a number of his team-mates fell foul of Benitez’s dislike for confrontation as they made temporary exits from St James Park.
He said: “He never liked arguing or bringing things up so if he made a decision, he was quite quiet. If he didn’t like he wouldn’t let you know, he’d avoid you and you’d find yourself on loan and you’d wonder how have I got here. He didn’t like confrontation too much but a lot of the boys that didn’t play under him too much wouldn’t have enjoyed it because he’d keep himself to himself.
“Defensively he’s unbelievable but when we needed to go to that next step attacking-wise, maybe we weren’t good enough or he didn’t believe that. We didn’t get too much information on that. He was fixated on the way you play and how you perform rather than the result, he’d never get too high or too low. He’s always be like if we do the right thing over a period of time, the results will take care of themselves. He was never confrontational so he doesn’t want it to kick off and I think there was once when he kicked off.”
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Related topics:Rafa BenitezEddie HoweJoelintonDan BurnSteve Bruce
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