RAFAEL BENITEZ has defended his decision to sign a £12m-a-year contract with Dalian Yifang, and claimed the Chinese club’s “project” is more appealing than the vision he was offered at Newcastle United.

Benitez was formally confirmed as Dalian Yifang’s new manager yesterday morning, having signed a two-year-deal with the club currently sitting in tenth position in the Chinese Super League.

The Spaniard’s appointment was confirmed just two days after his contract at St James’ Park officially came to an end, with Benitez having turned down the offer of a one-year extension to his previous deal with the Magpies.

The Champions League winner has doubled his wages as a result of his move to China, but insists financial issues were not a decisive factor in his decision to uproot to the Far East.

Benitez claims to have declined even more lucrative offers in the past, but with Dalian Yifang’s owners determined to transform their club into an Asian powerhouse, he felt the boundless ambition of his new Chinese employers contrasted markedly with the empty promises he felt he was offered by Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley.

“I wanted to stay (at Newcastle), 100 per cent,” said Benitez. “I wanted to develop a project, to be competitive, to compete in the cups and to be as close as possible to the top of the league, but you have to have the tools.

“If you don’t, then you suffer, because you’re at the bottom of the table, every point is massive and you know that a mistake could mean relegation. That would be a disaster for the whole city. If the people at the top of the club had the same ideas (as me), I would still be there.”

When Benitez met Ashley at the London headquarters of the owner’s Flannels clothes business in the immediate aftermath of last season’s 13th-placed finish, he anticipated a swift agreement about the best way to take Newcastle forward.

Instead, most of his key questions about Ashley’s future plans remained unanswered, with doubts about a potential takeover adding another layer of uncertainty to discussions.

There has been talk of a possible takeover all summer, with the Dubai-based Bin Zayed Group having made some very public pronouncements about their intention to take over from Ashley, but Benitez left Tyneside completely uncertain about whether a change of ownership was likely or not.

“It was a big problem,” he admitted, in an interview with The Times. “In terms of my decision, I was waiting and I was asking for clarity and, like the fans, we didn’t know. Eventually, you have to decide.

“I could not continue in the same way because I couldn’t see how to progress. It had to be clear to me – who was the owner, what would they do – and it wasn’t clear at any time.”

So instead of preparing to lead Newcastle in China in the Premier League Asia Cup later this month, Benitez finds himself taking charge of a Dalian Yifang side featuring his former Napoli skipper Marek Hamsik and Belgian international forward Yannick Curasco.

“I have had offers of greater financial significance during my career, but they weren’t the project I was looking for,” said the 59-year-old. “What I have found at Dalian is an incredible project that has arrived at the perfect time and this has been a major factor in my decision.

“We've accepted the challenge of leading a superb project with the full backing and confidence of the club's leadership team. This club has all the components that we were looking for to start a new chapter with the maximum motivation.”

Benitez has taken his Magpies coaching team - Paco De Miguel, Mikel Antia and Antonio Gomez - with him and added Croatian Darko Matic, who has ten years experience as a player in the Chinese Super League.

“For some years, China has achieved drawing the attention of the football world towards the Super League,” he added. “Myself and my coaching team will also try to help achieve this goal by bringing our extensive experience in having success with top European clubs to our work with Dalian.

“The challenge now is to create the foundations for success both now and for the future. We know it won't be simple as there are some big rivals, but we are confident that there is huge potential and great commitment from the directors of the club to create something great at this club.”