Claudio Ranieri bid goodbye to his beloved club Roma after a brief spell as manager of the Italian club. The search is on for his replacement with many names bandied about which includes Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini, who led the club to their first Champions League qualification courtesy their 3rd place finish ; Sampdoria manager Marco Giampaolo, who is set to be announced as AC Milan manager; and Sassuolo manager Roberto De Zerbi, who revealed that he would like to stay at his current club.
Now, two more managers have been linked with the role – former PSG manager Laurent Blanc and Newcastle United’s Rafa Benitez. Benitez has been the manager of the Magpies since 2016, and despite being relegated from the Premier League (he was given 3 months to turn around a horrendous season), held on to the job, and Newcastle made their immediate return to top-flight English football after just one season in the Championship.
In their first season back in the Premier League, Benitez guided the team to a more than respectable 10th position, while following it up with a 13th place finish in the 2018-19 season. But, Newcastle have still not managed to sign the Spanish manager to a new contract with his current one expiring on June 30, 2019. The Magpies are finally set to be sold as the Bin Zayed Group have put in a bid which has been accepted and they are waiting for the official Premier League clearance.
With Benitez now linked with a move to Roma, why should the potential new owners do everything to do such an outcome?
Why Newcastle should do everything to keep hold of him
Rafa Benitez has an impressive CV, having managed big players and clubs. The Spaniard had success with Valencia and Liverpool, while he also briefly managed Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea. Benitez is highly regarded by fellow managers and players, known for his intense work ethic and tactical shrewdness.
At Newcastle United, he has worked wonders with a small budget as owner Mike Ashley has rarely splashed the cash to sign top-class players. Despite that, Benitez has finished mid-table in both seasons since earning promotion to the Premier League. The Spaniard has a great football mind, outwitting opposition managers with his tactics and reinventing players.
With Newcastle expected to have a big transfer kitty under the new ownership, they will need an experienced hand to deal with new players and lay a path for the future of Newcastle United, which makes Benitez the ideal man for the job.
In the likely event that the takeover is completed in time, the nuance and the method with which the Magpies will have to approach the transfer market will be of utmost importance and the lure of a big name like Benitez will also be an added bonus when it will come to attracting relatively high-profile players.