It’s important for the club to remember: Newcastle United needs Rafa Benitez, he doesn’t need them.
The battle for promotion has obviously been the talk of the town among Toon Army. But, the second most hotly discussed subject, is will Rafa Benitez stay? It was a big topic after Newcastle were stuck with relegation, and he stuck around.
At various points throughout this season in the Championship, chatter has increased that Rafa would leave. The fruitless transfer window this winter was feared to be a point of no return. But, despite being frustrated, Rafa stayed with the club.
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Now, after achieving the organization’s goal of promotion, they must now turn their focus to retaining their top class manager. Rafa has never said he will leave, but he also has never been overly committed in any of his statements. He usually says something to the effect of, “I’m happy to be here, but I cannot predict the future.”
Getting promoted is great, but it’s less important if you simply get relegated the next season. Having Rafa running the show, drastically reduces the chance of being sent down. This summer, Mike Ashley must hand the Spanish manager his checkbook, and say, “Go get what you need.” The club needs to add some serious talent to stay afloat in the EPL, and that won’t come cheap. Also, you must factor in the current HMRC investigation. While all reports suggest it happened well before Rafa arrived, no manager wants to have that cloud over their club.
Newcastle United must do everything in their power to make sure Rafa Benitez stays their manager. He showed again this season, he is truly an elite coach. Other clubs will be searching for that when the season’s end, and summer moves are made. Newcastle must make sure Rafa is not one foot out the door, give the man anything he needs.