Newcastle United eyeing this FA Cup winner to replace Benitez: Right option for the Magpies?

Newcastle United and former manager Rafa Benitez could not agree on a new deal to keep the Spaniard at St James’ Park, and the former Liverpool and Chelsea manager left the club last week.

Speculation regarding new owners has died down over the last couple of weeks, and with the Premier League season set to begin in just over four weeks, the Magpies need to sign a new manager soon.

Former Everton and current Belgium manager, Roberto Martinez, is the latest manager to be linked with the managerial role at St James’ Park.

A report in the Sun claims that the club have approached Martinez to become the next manager of Newcastle United, following Benitez’s exit.

Martinez managed Swansea City, Wigan Atheltic, and Everton in England before getting the Belgium national team role, which he took up in 2016.

The Belgian side put up a great showing in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, finishing third in the competition after being knocked out by eventual champions France in the semifinals.

In his first year in charge of Everton, Martinez guided the Toffees to a fifth-place finish, but Everton had to settle for 11th position in the following two seasons. Martinez famously lifted the FA Cup with Wigan, beating Manchester City in the final in 2013.

Is Roberto Martinez the right option for Newcastle?

Martinez has had a good run as manager, bringing success to the clubs he has managed, while he has also done well with Belgium. The Spaniard’s possession style of play has been lauded over the years.

However, it remains to be seen if Martinez can replicate the same style of play at Newcastle United, if he does become their manager.

Newcastle, under Rafa Benitez, played pragmatic football, which yielded good results for the money invested in the team as well as the kind of players that the club had.

Changing the way a team plays in a short span of time, and with little money to spend on new players, may make the task a difficult one for Martinez.

Martinez may want a significant transfer budget to make any impact with the team, while the players that Newcastle United currently have may not gel with the kind of football that he may want to play, which all put together makes this a not-so-ideal appointment.