RAFAEL BENITEZ will meet Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley this week, and hopes the emotional response to the Magpies’ dramatic Championship victory will help persuade the club’s owner to support his plans for next season’s return to the Premier League.

Newcastle claimed the Championship title when their 3-0 victory over Barnsley enabled them to finish one point clear of Brighton, who could only claim a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa in their final fixture.

The Magpies looked like finishing in second position when Brighton were leading with one minute left at Villa Park, but Jack Grealish’s 89th-minute equaliser changed the picture at the top of the table and resulted in euphoric scenes at St James’ Park.

Newcastle’s players celebrated joyously on the pitch as Benitez shook the hands of his backroom staff, and Jamaal Lascelles was able to lift the Championship trophy above his head to crown a successful nine months that have seen the Magpies reclaim their place in the Premier League following last season’s relegation.

Thoughts will now turn to next season’s campaign in the top-flight, and Benitez will meet with Ashley in the next few days to discuss his budget for the summer transfer window.

Benitez will request up to £70m for his summer strengthening, and will demand the final say over all incomings and outgoings, and while Ashley has proved difficult to second guess in the past, the Magpies manager is hoping today’s celebrations will persuade the owner that the club is on the right track.

“I will meet him (Ashley) next week, but it’s always important for him, for us, to feel the love of the fans and the passion in the stadium,” said Benitez, who was celebrating his first league title since winning La Liga as the manager of Valencia.

“I already have an idea of what a successful club could look like. I think also he has an idea. I think we have to put both ideas together next week.

“I think it is the right time to talk when everything is fine. If not (today) it doesn’t matter. We will be in contact to be sure we share the same ambition about how to improve, how to be competitive and to do the right things for everyone.”

Benitez has achieved plenty of success in his managerial career, most notably claiming the Champions League with Liverpool, UEFA Cup with Chelsea and two league titles with Valencia.

A Championship winners’ medal is not quite in the same league, but the Spaniard will still be celebrating it enthusiastically, and is urging his players to do the same.

Newcastle might have started the season as strong favourites to claim the Championship title, but they have still had to dig deep in order to finish the campaign with 94 points to their name.

“At the end, I made sure every player, every staff member, had a picture with the trophy,” said Benitez. “You have to remember these moments, how difficult it was.

“You don’t know when the next time will be, but I hope this is only the first trophy I win at Newcastle United. Going up as champions does not matter too much, but there are a lot of positives we can take into next season.

“My message from the beginning was that we all had to stick together, and I think the atmosphere today means a lot. If you want to achieve things in the future, it is really important to have everyone together.”

Newcastle’s passage to the title was not always smooth, and nerves were jangling when they lost their opening two games of the season to Fulham and Huddersfield. They claimed five wins on the bounce after that though, and did not drop out of the top two from mid-October onwards.

“We have to be proud of a lot of work well done during the season,” said Benitez. “There were a lot of positives – we conceded less than anyone, scored more than anyone and have more points than anyone.

“Even losing two games at the beginning of the season, we still showed character. By doing the right things, staying calm, and doing the same things as the others, but making less mistakes, we were able to be champions.”

They did not secure their success until the final minute of the season though, and even then they were forced into an agonising wait before the final whistle at Villa Park confirmed their title triumph.

“I don’t have the English words to describe what happened,” said Benitez. “We knew that it would depend on us. We had to do our job because we could not have any influence on the other result.

“When Brighton scored, we still had to carry on and do our jobs. After, when Aston Villa scored, you could hear the fans. It was just a question of having to wait. We were on the pitch, asking, ‘Have they finished?’ In the end, everything was fine for us and we were so pleased with that.”