SEAN Dyche has laughed off Rafa Benitez's claims that Newcastle are unable to match the wages Burnley are paying in the Premier League.

The Toon boss said his side had been unable to compete with the likes of the Clarets this summer as they looked to reshape their squad after promotion.

Speaking after his side were beaten 3-0 by Watford at the weekend, Benitez said: "You can lose against the top teams, we have to compete against Huddersfield, Brighton, or Burnley, but we couldn't sign players that they signed. We couldn't pay the wages that they paid, so that is what we have.

"I can tell you a couple of players in each team that maybe we could have signed, but we couldn't pay the wages, or we couldn't pay the transfer fee, or whatever."

But Dyche laughed off those claims when asked about it before Burnley's trip to Bournemouth.

"It’s probably stretching it a little bit to include us in that. I’d be surprised if we’re thrown in the mix with that company on a wage scale," he said.

"I understand his point, trying to bring some reality that Newcastle historically have probably been more powerful financially than at this moment.

"We’re probably not the best example to use, certainly not wages, I don’t think we’re up there yet."