Rafa Benitez will NOT be sacked
By Durim Halimi
A new report is claiming that Rafa Benitez will be sacked if a takeover is finalized, but that makes zero sense.
According to this new report, Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan plans to sack Rafa Benitez if he completes the complicated takeover of Newcastle United. While that headline makes for great click bait, that is literally all it is. From a logical perspective, there is no way that Benitez will get sacked from his current role for a few reasons.
Firstly, it is important to remember that Benitez’s contract expires at the end of this month. As a result, if the Spaniard is gone by July 1st it is because he walked away on his own, not because he was sacked.
Secondly, the Champions League and Europa League winner stunned everyone with his loyalty to Newcastle United despite the false promises and lack of funding provided by Mike Ashley. Benitez stuck with the club through thick and thin. With the Spaniard on the sideline, the Magpies achieved the following:
- Immediate promotion to the Premier League (2016)
- 10th place finish in the Premier League (2017)
- 13th place finish in the Premier League (2018)
So, tell me why the club’s new prospective owner would sack a manager who exceeded expectations with a team comprised of a mediocre roster? Exactly. Moreover, the same report claims that Sheikh Khaled wants to replace Benitez with Jose Mourinho or Arsene Wenger.
For starters, why would a new owner want to begin his reign over a new club that has plenty of potential to fight for a spot in Europe by hiring a manager who would turn 70 in October? Furthermore, if Sheikh Khaled is spending £350M to purchase the club, does it really make sense to invest more money on Mourinho’s salary instead of spending that money to bring in new talent? I would think not.
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The final point I would like to make in this article is the fact that investors are only looking at Newcastle United because of Benitez. Take Benitez out of the equation and Mike Ashley would still own the club for the next few years. Benitez is an experienced manager who has brought stability to the club. That stability, along with his managerial reputation, is why Sheikh Khaled submitted his bid for the club on April 17th. That being said, Benitez will not be sacked and any report that claims otherwise is simply a rumor that should be ignored.