On the January 31, Newcastle United broke their transfer record which had previously stood since 2005 when they signed Michael Owen.
The Magpies signed Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United for £21 million and both club and manager were delighted to finally get their man.
Minutes, after Almiron was announced as a Newcastle player Managing director Lee Charnley, came out with a message about how happy he was to have the Paraguayan at the club.
Benitez and Charnley on the same page
For a long period of time, Rafa Benitez had seemingly been at war with Newcastle's hierarchy.
However, Charnley and Benitez are both delighted to have signed Almiron and thus smashing their transfer record fee.
The board have been reluctant to give Benitez sufficient funds to improve the squad over the past three seasons, however, the board approved the signing of the former Atlanta MVP.
This may have been because the board see Almiron with potential sell-on value in a few years to make the club a nice profit.
A signing that suits for everyone
Charnley decided early on in the window he was going to wait for Atlanta to come down from their valuation for the number 10 instead of matching their offer.
Darren Eales valued Almiron at around £30 million, however, the MLS champions had to sell Almiron to comply with league rules and thus how Charnley got the deal Benitez wanted at a good enough price.
The managing director did thank Benitez for his patience during the transfer window which frustrated the Spaniard more as each day passed.
Complimentary Charnley
Charnley spoke to the club's official website shortly after Almiron was confirmed and he spoke of his delight and thankfulness to Benitez and others.
"He is a player who Rafa has wanted for a year and I appreciate he has had to wait longer than he would have liked."
"I would like to thank Rafa for his patience in waiting for a player he has coveted for so long."
"Given Miguel’s performances both in MLS and for his country, it was a question of when Atlanta United were prepared to sell him and, when they were, achieving a deal that made financial sense for us."
Once again with the Magpies, the deal seemed to be made on the back of it making financial sense instead of if the player would improve the squad.
"I would like to thank Darren Eales at Atlanta United for his cooperation and the manner in which he has conducted negotiations."
"I would also like to give credit to Steve Nickson and his recruitment staff for their valuable contribution in this process."