The Newcastle hierarchy (read Mike Ashley) are beginning to see for the first time what it’s like having a world-class manager at the helm and other top clubs are always interested in Rafa Benitez.
That hasn’t been true in the past 10 years under the current owner Mike Ashley.
West Ham were rumored to want him in east London if current boss Slaven Bilic couldn’t turn the ship around.
But Slaven is now doing extremely well at the Hammers helped by a certain Andy Carroll, who has been in great for the for them since he returned from injury.
Rafa Benitez when he first arrived at Newcastle
Slavic has West Ham in 10th place now on 32 points and surely they are safe from any relegation and are only looking up.
Newcastle fans will have woken up to the news this morning that Benitez is one of four candidates for the Arsenal job should Arsene Wenger leave the London club this summer.
Obviously at Newcastle the only thing that matters this season is promotion and the hierarchy will have to wait until that’s achieved – and the sooner the better for everybody concerned.
But if Alan Pardew and his team were worth an 8 year deal at Newcastle, then Rafa and his team are worth a long term deal with improved terms.
We would hope that Rafa has been told that if he can get Newcastle promoted he will be offered new terms on say a 10 year deal to keep him at the club for years to come.
That will allow him to think long term as he completely transforms the club.
To do that Mike Ashley would need to think positively and have some ambition – and keep Rafa in complete charge of all football related matters at Newcastle.
If those responsibilities are to be taken away from the manager, as was rumored last month, then Rafa would not want to sign any long term deal and he may still want to leave the club in the summer.
That remains a possibility.
If that happens it will have shown all Newcastle fans everywhere that Mike Ashley has no clue of how to run a football club and there would be huge and sustained calls for Mike Ashley to sell up and move out.
But we hope that doesn’t happen and Mike will see what a fabulous club Newcastle can become again if Rafa is given free rein to do what he wants to build Newcastle United in his image.
Rafa would sign the deal if he was offered it, with all the assurance he needs.
It up to Mike Ashley and company to offer him the deal – once we are promoted – and keep Rafa at Newcastle for years to come.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
4 comments so far
DubaiMicky
Feb 12, 2017 at 8:58 AM
Comment #1Rafa would be stupid to sign a 10 year deal, he’d limit his chances of joining someone else as there would be a massive penalty clause to pay. He’s not stupid, stick to a revolving 3 year contract with the assurances, it suits us all.
lochinvar
Feb 12, 2017 at 9:12 AM
Comment #2The Mirror hacks are just predictable and really not very clever.
It’s well known that the way these lesser hacks create headlines is by saying something contentious or asking a question so as to avoid lying directly.
Hence they state ” has Elvis been found on the moon ? ” when there is no sorry other than some half stoned numpty in Grimsby thinks a crater looks like Elvis.
So now we have ” Benitez for Arsenal ? ” when Tuchner is stated as the favourite.
Sad bunch really.
lochinvar
Feb 12, 2017 at 9:13 AM
Comment #3*story
Moonraker15
Feb 12, 2017 at 10:31 AM
Comment #4Correct me if I’m wrong, but managers don’t usually use Newcastle as a stepping stone to bigger clubs( they usually get sacked) and that’s because it’s a huge prestigious job. I think the last manager to leave for a “bigger” club was Gordon Lee when he went to Everton.
I genuinely believe Rafa wants to stay and build the clubs status and win things! He knows like we do that we should always be top six.
Please, please Mike Ashley don’t mess it up!