Rafa refutes claim money was his main motivation

New Dalian Yifang head coach Rafa Benitez has hit back at claims from Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley that he only moved to China for the money, instead referring to the Chinese Super League side as his "best option".

Having won praise for establishing the Magpies in the Premier League on a meager budget, Benitez left St James' Park after his contract ended in June to sign a two-and-a-half-year deal with Dalian reportedly worth around $14.5 million per year.

That prompted Ashley to accuse the Spaniard of being motivated primarily by money and "taking the soft option".

However, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Benitez responded to Ashley, saying he turned down several more lucrative offers while still under contract at Newcastle.

"I was not happy when he was talking about me leaving Newcastle because of the money," Benitez said.

"I said no to very, very big offers, and even last year, I was saying no to big offers. But I decided to stay because of the fans, the city and the potential.

"We were waiting for a solution at Newcastle which was not forthcoming. We had options (to go to different clubs) but when we had to decide, it was a very simple decision because Dalian was the best option we had.

"People were saying it was because of big money, but Dalian pushed really hard to get me and my staff, and we are really pleased because they showed so much interest."

Benitez, a Champions League winner with Liverpool in 2005, said his decision to join Dalian was swayed by the club's commitment to investing in youth and training facilities, areas he felt were neglected at Newcastle.

"I am a professional and I want to win, but I also want to build something and leave a legacy," noted the 59-year-old.

"Dalian's training ground and its project with the youth system is amazing. This year, we are creating (soccer) schools for 6-10 year olds, bringing in coaches from Spain, so we will organize everything in terms of the academy and youth system."

In coming to Dalian, Benitez is reunited with former players Marek Hamsik and Salomon Rondon, who played under the Spaniard at Napoli and Newcastle respectively.

While the influx of established foreign stars to the CSL in recent years has turned many heads, Benitez stressed it is the league's homegrown players who hold the key to any success a team may have.

"The Chinese players make the difference, because there are eight of them on the pitch," said Benitez, citing CSL regulations restricting the number of imports on the field to three.

"The foreign players can win some games, but you have to be sure that the others keep you in the game. You can try to find the best foreign players, but the key is to have very good Chinese players with the right mentality."

Semifinal loss

Since taking over at Dalian on July 2, Benitez has seen the team climb from 10th to seventh in the CSL standings, although its CFA Cup progress was tempered by a 3-2 semifinal loss to Shanghai Shenhua on Monday night.

Slovakian playmaker Hamsik headed home to break the deadlock for the host at Dalian Sports Center. However, a brace from former AC Milan and Roma forward Stephan El Shaarawy put Shenhua ahead 2-1 at the break.

Substitute Giovanni Moreno slotted home to all but seal Shenhua's passage in the 61st minute, although Zheng Long's late strike made for a nervous final six minutes for the visitor.

Meanwhile, back in northeast England, Newcastle looks like it is in for a season of prolonged struggle.

The Magpies are already in the relegation zone after losing their opening two Premier League matches - to Arsenal and newly promoted Norwich City.

XINHUA