RAFAEL BENITEZ will urge Mike Ashley to sanction the signing of some experienced players this summer, after warning the Newcastle United owner he “cannot be expected to produce miracles every year.”

Benitez takes his side to Everton this evening knowing a victory will enable the Magpies to leapfrog their opponents and move into eighth position, but events on the field in the final month of the season are likely to be overshadowed by the political manoeuvring that is taking place off the pitch.

Arsene Wenger’s impending departure from Arsenal has resulted in growing speculation linking Benitez with a possible move to the Emirates, and with just one more year of his current contract on Tyneside remaining, the Spaniard is set to hold discussions with Ashley next month.

Having seen a succession of transfer targets fall by the wayside in the last two transfer windows, he will be pushing for the purchase of a batch of experienced players this summer.

That could well put him on a collision course with Ashley, whose transfer model at Newcastle has been heavily based on prioritising the purchase of players aged 24 or younger, who hold their value beyond the end of their deal.

Benitez will be arguing from a position of strength when discussions take place, having successfully guided Newcastle to safety following their promotion from the Championship. The danger is that Ashley will look at the current squad and conclude only minimal reinforcements are required, given the team’s position in the top half of the table, but Benitez will be forcefully arguing the opposite.

Having previously described Newcastle’s avoidance of the bottom three as a “miracle”, he will be warning Ashley it is naïve to assume a similar result is achievable next season without significant investment.

“I cannot do miracles every year,” said Benitez, whose side are on a four-game winning run. “You have to have the tools to make sure you can do your job.

“I did it at Napoli, Inter (Milan), Valencia, any team we were around – when we had the tools and support, we could win.

“I am a manager who wants to win, but at the same time, I spend a lot of time coaching and improving players, so I do not have a problem with young players because they will grow and become much better players.

“But you need to win, so you need players with experience. When we had problems in the Championship, or even in the Premier League with this squad, we needed experience. So it’s not just a case of, ‘Oh, the manager is calm, he has vast experience’ because you don’t play.

“Players with experience can replicate that on the pitch, and give confidence to those around them. Then, you will be a better, more competitive team, and you can try and win trophies.

“I am not saying you have to win the league, because maybe you will need a lot of time to do that.

“But to compete for the League Cup or FA Cup? You can do that, but you have to have a team you can change by rotating players and still have a good XI.”

Benitez will take charge of his 100th match as Newcastle boss tonight, but in many ways, he is still having to fight the same battles he has been wrestling with throughout his tenure.

He can sense the potential in a club that attracts more than 50,000 supporters to every home game, but is clearly frustrated at the lack of support from the boardroom.

Given this is Newcastle’s first season back in the Premier League after promotion, he was just about willing to tolerate a budget that was lower than that at the likes of Burnley, Bournemouth and Swansea City.

Should the same kind of figures be made available to him this summer, though, he could find himself seriously questioning his position.

“Go to my first press conference, when I was talking about football operations, business operations and projects, and everything I expect in any club,” said Benitez.

“I said all that because I like to win. I want to win games, I want to win trophies, and I want to be capable of competing.

“But if you want to compete in the Premier League or this market, then you have to compete in everything.

“If you have the tools to compete, you can win. I’d like to do that, but at the same time, I like to improve and coach players and follow a business plan, a realistic business plan in modern football.

“I have no problem with that because I did it in the past, but we have to be sure we have all the tools to compete and achieve what we want to achieve. Newcastle is a massive football club.”

Having named the same team for the last four games, Benitez will be reluctant to make too many changes this evening, although he could opt to start with Islam Slimani, who is coming towards the end of his loan spell from Leicester City.

“He (Slimani) is fit enough to start,” said the Magpies manager.

“He still has a contract with his club, so it’s not that he is under pressure in that respect.

“But if he’s happy here, then we want to see what he is capable of doing for us.”

Newcastle (probable, 4-2-3-1): Dubravka; Yedlin, Lascelles, Lejeune, Dummett; Shelvey, Diame; Ritchie, Perez, Kenedy; Gayle