Rafa Benitez says that successful teams do not just boil down to spending power in the Premier League - but admits a cash boost would help him.
Newcastle United are still not safe in the Premier League but at least their fate is in their own hands going into the last five matches of top-flight action this season.
United spent around £40million on incoming players this season - including £16million on Miguel Almiron in January - but in recent weeks Fulham have been relegated having spent £100million.
When asked about the demise of Fulham, Benitez gave some insight on his views when it comes to building a team fit for Premier League action.
He told the Chronicle: "In football it's not just about the money.
"I always say that.
"But at the same time if you have more money you'll have more chances to do well.
"I think Fulham signed some good players but for some reason they didn't do what people were expecting as a team.
"We can't talk too much about them because they did what they did.
"We'll have to talk about us.
"We're trying to be sure that our team - as a unit - is strong enough.
"It's not just about individuals or players on their own that can do enough.
"We have the idea to build a team and we've done that."
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Benitez knows that a major revamp will be needed if United do extend his contract with improvements needed in attack, midfield and defence this summer.
It is still unclear whether Newcastle will splash out on Salomon Rondon with a fee of £16.5million payable if West Brom don't win promotion or more than £20million if they manage to get promoted.
United were accused of leaving Rondon isolated in their last away game at Arsenal.
But as the Magpies prepare for their next away trip, Benitez said: "The reality is we didn't do well.
"We were trying to do exactly what we had done in other games but Arsenal were pushing.
"We had chances in the final third but didn't do enough in terms of linking.
"Every time we tried to regain the ball they pressed and went forward.
"We made too many mistakes.
"It's not like we don't want to support our striker because we did it in other games and the tactics were similar.
"It was because the other team were much better and we couldn't control them."
Benitez was left devastated by Newcastle's home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday and is desperate to hit back with a win on Friday night.
The former Liverpool and Inter Milan chief said: "You cannot believe you have lost.
"Not even drawn, but lost.
"With the chances that we've had with the control of the game we had.
"Yes, we know they are dangerous on counter, but we made too many mistakes in the last minutes.
"We had enough chances to win the game, but for sure not to lose the game."
Rafa Benitez pinpoints his biggest frustration after Newcastle United's defeat to Crystal Palace
