According to a report in the Daily Star today some of the rumors doing the rounds over the last couple of weeks may even be true – Rafael Benitez has told his friends that he wants to stay at St. James’ Park for the long-term.
Benitez has a clause in his contract that he can leave the club at the end of this season and most people thought that was an escape route in case he couldn’t save Newcastle United – which he has called a sleeping giant of a club.
But another way of looking at the release clause is for Newcastle too, that if we are relegated we don’t have to keep Rafa and his massive £4.5M a year in wages – not to mention his three assistants’ wages.
Rafa Benitez – Newcastle United manager
If Rafa were to stay that would mean the club would need to pay his wages of around £4.5M for next season.
The assumption would be we could come straight back up, because the financial ramifications would be great if we didn’t – and nothing is certain in life or in football.
So that would be a decision that Nike Ashley would have to make along with a host of other financial decisions to reduce the operating costs of the club.
Newcastle would get only£20M from the Championship each season, rather than the £140M we would receive in 13 months if we stay in the Premier League.
However, we do get a couple of parachute payments from the PL of at least £25M each, for the first two years after relegation.
Rafa feels with more time he can not only put a decent side together for next season, but there are also other areas of the club where he wants to make some changes too.
This all sounds good to us – and surely Mike Ashley would want to keep Rafa and his coaching staff on Tyneside for next season and go for an automatic promotion place next season – especially when the former Liverpool manager wants to stay.
Maybe.
If this report is true then Rafa seems one of the few people who wants to stay on Tyneside if we are indeed relegated, which looks almost a certainty now.
It seems that at least Rafa still believes in Newcastle United.
Comments welcome.
18 comments so far
Jail for Ashley
Apr 15, 2016 at 12:57 PM
Comment #1If this is true and Mashers doesn’t keep him on and gets another second rater there’ll be absolute hell on.
NezzaNUFC
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:00 PM
Comment #2I don’t think Lee would be to happy if Rafa stays because Ashley would shiver when he checks his wages are that high and with bonuses.
But on the other hand though having Rafa rebuilding Newcastle could be what we need and if there’s anyone who can build Newcastle into a great team and club we once knew it’s Rafa.
Yes he will get criticized by fellow pundits and other manager but it’s Newcastle and we are the sleeping giants and Rafa could be the smelling salts to wake us up.
HWTL
HWTR
NezzaNUFC
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:02 PM
Comment #3Doesn’t Rafa have good friends who are top scouts?
Lee Charnley Bunga Party
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:04 PM
Comment #4I can just see this all end in tears the second Benitez has a promise broken or told his second and third choice players cant be signed and they have to move to the 4th choice ……
Never mind his first choice players !!
NezzaNUFC
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:04 PM
Comment #5https://www.clubcall.com/crystal-palace/eagles-likely-to-swoop-for-newcastle-star-1806931.html?
Hmmm could there be truth in this?
I hope so!
NezzaNUFC
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:05 PM
Comment #6Lee Charnley Bunga Party
With everything going on and Lee costing Ashley a lot of money I would expect him to be gone as soon as the season is over.
Whumpie
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:09 PM
Comment #7My main worry is that with the Guitierrez outcome on everyone’s mind, Rafa will work out what kind of man he’s working for. The kind that has been found guilty of lying, coersion, duplicity and all manner of other things by at least three courts now. A first class sh1t.
If I were Rafa I’d run as fast as possible. I just hope he doesn’t, because we’re stuck with that 1st-class sh1t either way.
NezzaNUFC
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:09 PM
Comment #8I can imagine Rafa turning around and saying in the press room
‘ yes I would carry on as Newcastle’s manager but only if Lee Charnley would vacate his role as MD’
Rafa prides himself with other people with extensive football knowledge and Lee has none.
NezzaNUFC
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:12 PM
Comment #9Whumpie
Then it’s simply Rafa speaking to Ashley about this situation.
And then it’s whether Ashley will listen to either Rafa or Lee to show how much ambition is in him.
Lee Charnley Bunga Party
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:12 PM
Comment #10@Nezza
Lee and Carr’s running of the club in the last 2 seasons has probably lost Ashley 200 million in value and also has lost his free advertising in the most watched league in the world !
Heads will certainly roll thats for sure!!
NezzaNUFC
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:14 PM
Comment #11Lee Charnley Bunga Party
Aye very true mate, but I guess we will see in the coming months on what’s going to happen because no doubt the press would expect Ashley to come out again and speak.
NezzaNUFC
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:19 PM
Comment #12In the running of the club no doubt Ashley will hire a MD because this is out of the reach of Rafa in which he won’t have control over with it being more on the financial and contracts events rather than football itself, but he may have a say on what type of MD needs to be brought in and what kind of experience he has.
But for players and staff including scouts it’s all Rafa on that department and if given a chance and have the reins of Newcastle he could make us into a better version than Liverpool with cup success?
Lee Charnley Bunga Party
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:21 PM
Comment #13@NezzaNUFC
Yeah just wish he would come out and say I have messed up I am now going to listen to Rafa and get the club sorted :
Charnley demoted to tea boy and to be replaced by someone who knows how to run the finances of a football club and knows how to get suitable investment in through corporate means
Shearer as club ambassador
Ginola as Director of Football
Wonga out and replaced by a reputable brand
Beardsley replaced by someone who knows how to develop young players
Carr to retire or become just a scout
Scouting system totally changed starting with looking at youngsters from Britain and abroad
hibbitt
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:27 PM
Comment #14if Rafa wants to stay and is push out the shit will hit the fan like never before and at last charnley will be in the firing line
NezzaNUFC
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:28 PM
Comment #15Lee Charnley Bunga Party
It could happen mate (well maybe without Ginola and Shearer at Newcastle but would love it if we had them lol)
At the end of the day Ashley is a businessman and knows certain things on how to produce the goods, he knows getting Newcastle into CL will massively expose his brand whether on the boarding’s or not and extra money from the PL standings, future TV deals and CL standings will only entice him even more.
Lee Charnley Bunga Party
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:38 PM
Comment #16@NezzaNUFC
Thats the thing every club of reasonable standing has club legends involved with the club ! Shearer is the premier leagues all time goal scorer and he is not involved at all!! No other club would do this!!
LGFUAD21
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:39 PM
Comment #17Rafa is actually a very intelligent person beyond football matters.
That is why I would make it a priority to keep him in light of a rebuild.
He should be consulted on all things from Academy to first team. Be transparent with him on budgets and work with him to help us out.
Beardo et al need to go. Our Academy and Reserves are shocking. We havent produced anything from the academy with the exception of Dummet who I think still has a bright future at CB (People forget his age) and Carroll (Decent but hardly gone on to set the world alight).
Meanwhile we have always had promising youngsters on the books that just arent developing.
Moncur needs to go (what does he even do?)
Charnley –
Lack of getting deals “over the line”
Not addressing priorities/weaknesses
Appointing Mcclaren
Keeping Mcclaren 2 months too long
Gambling last season by not replacing Pardew
This Jonas scandal
Selling MYM and Santon and not replacing for very little financial gain.
Signing Cabella, Thauvin and Rivere.
Carr needs to go.
At the beginning of the season I had faith, I thought maybe the board were just signing his 5th choices (remember he did scout Ayew, Gameiro, Abermayang so maybe it was the boards fault for not going out to get these great talents) but this season he appears to have become a cancer. And Thauvin proves it, we paid good money for Carr’s obsession.
Our best signing has been Townsend who was reportedly a Mcclaren buy.
It’s clear Ashley is here for a while. He might as well try and rebuild some semblance of goodwill (I use that term loosely) starting by sacking his council of fools and handing the running over to good hands.
Lee Charnley Bunga Party
Apr 15, 2016 at 1:47 PM
Comment #18@LGFUAD21
As much as Ashley has ruined us having Benitez here and willing to help rebuild the club would actually be the best thing for us ! Surely we will not lose this opportunity!
I mean how many more failed British managers can we hire ? As I type that I note Neville and Ince are both looking for jobs for next season…..