Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has accused former manager Rafael Benitez of "taking the soft option" in moving to China.
The former Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid boss left St James' Park after failing to agree a new contract - Ashley claims his preference was to tie him down to an eight-year deal - and promptly agreed a reported £12 million (Dh54.5m)-a-year contract with Dalian Yifang.
Ashley said it was impossible for Newcastle to have kept Benitez because of the demands he made as his deal expired.
"If you come out and say the things he did you would think it was football club first, Rafa second, money third. I'd say it was money first, Rafa, then the club last," Ashley told the Daily Mail.
"He took the totally soft option, took the money and went to China. That disappoints me.
"If he'd gone back to Real Madrid, or a top-six club in the Premier League, I get it, but it was about money and all he had to do was say that from the beginning.
"He asked for a 50 per cent pay increase and I think he did that because he knew it couldn't work.
"And if we had agreed to that, I think it would have been something else. And everyone thinks we lost him because we wouldn't pay a couple of quid more. We couldn't have done any more.
"He had talked about what he could earn in China previously. We were not even slightly surprised by that move."
Upon his appointment in Dalian in early July, however, Benitez said: "I have had offers of greater financial significance during my career, but they weren't the project I was looking for."
Benitez's replacement, Steve Bruce, has received a lukewarm welcome from fans despite being a boyhood fan having been born just 16 miles from the city.
Ashley cannot understand why the reception had been so bad.
"I expected the negative reaction to Rafa leaving but I was shocked by the reaction to Steve," he added.
"He doesn't deserve it. He's one of their own. I don't think the fans quite realise what they've got because I'm hoping he's the one.
"There's been some hurtful stuff, that he was our 11th choice. Actually, we had a short-list of three and Steve was one of them."
Ashley has been criticised himself for not selling the club despite a number of reported offers.
However, in the absence of any genuine bids he expects to remain there for some time.
"I have to assume I will stay running this football club. There are no offers," he said.
"I think I could own this football club forever. That is my new mental state.
"I will not stand in the way of Newcastle United. I will not stop that (sale), if it happens."
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BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
