Rafa Benitez will show no sentiment when building his Premier League side

Rafa Benitez already showed that sentiment won’t get you far in the lineup at Newcastle United as he already cut ties with Vurnon Anita. Soon to follow could be Daryl Murphy, the experienced Championship striker who Benitez wanted to add depth to an attacking lineup that desperately needed.

Also on the chopping block could be Aleksandar Mitrovic. The man many thought would be the next big striker at Newcastle United turned out to be full of hot air. Despite his lack of goals, many believe that Mitrovic just needs more time. For Benitez, that won’t be good enough. Mitrovic has had enough time at Newcastle to settle in, but he hasn’t been putting away goals. His future has been in doubt since January.

When asked a question about Jamaal Lascelles, the current captain of the ship, Benitez only answered, “He is the captain now. We’ll see next season.”

Talk about generating more questions than answers Was he not impressed with Lascelles last season? Is Lascelles’ own position at centre-back in doubt? Did he see issues with the way the backline was being run?

The club has yet to finalize any transfer deals other than the permanent move of Christian Atsu from Chelsea. But it would seem that Benitez is ready to make some changes by cutting players, which should mean that some transfers are on the way. Surely, Benitez wouldn’t make cuts if they weren’t necessary and he didn’t have a replacement plan.