It’s safe to say that Alan Shearer doesn’t trust Mike Ashley.
Ashley is one of the more unpopular owners in the Premier League and Newcastle legend Shearer has dismissed the Magpies’ owner’s promise to back manager Rafa Benitez with transfer funds this summer.
After Newcastle closed out their season in style with a 3-0 victory over last year’s champions, Chelsea, Ashley issued a statement in which he announced his hope that Benitez would remain in charge at St James’ Park.
“Rafa, as always, has my full support and, contrary to some media reports that portray me as a pantomime villain, I will continue to ensure that every penny generated by the club is available to him,” Ashley said.
“I hope very much that Rafa will remain at Newcastle United.
“Finally, I would like to thank the fans for their unrivalled support of Rafa and the team throughout the season.”
The statement was read out on Match of the Day on Sunday night but Shearer wasn’t having a word of it and mocked Ashley for just continuing to pay lip service to supporters without any intention of backing it up with transfer funds.
“Copy and paste, different day,” Shearer said. “It’s exactly the same thing. Give him some money to spend!
“Rafa’s always wanted money to spend. He’s made a profit on transfers.
“I would give him the backing he deserves. He’s got Newcastle into 10th position. If he can do that with that squad, can you imagine what he’d do with some backing and some finance?”
Benitez was several pundits’ pick for Manager of the Season for what he managed to achieve with Newcastle, guiding them to a 10th place finish just a year after promotion from the Championship.
