Prospective Newcastle owners Amanda Staveley and PCP Capital Partners would abandon a takeover of the club if manager Rafa Benitez was no longer involved, according to The Times.
Staveley, who is spearheading the consortium in talks, reportedly views Benitez as integral to her plans at St. James’ Park, and wants him to lead improvements to the club’s training ground and academy.
Benitez is currently embroiled in his worst period as a manager, with the Magpies having failed to win a Premier League game in their last nine attempts.
They have only managed one draw in that time to take just a single point from a possible 27, and have slipped dangerously down the table into the relegation zone with just 15 points from their 18 fixtures.
There has not been much suggestion that Benitez’s job is under threat despite the poor run, but the Spaniard does have a rocky relationship with current owner Mike Ashley after a poor summer transfer window saw them miss out on several targets.
OPINION
It would seem that Benitez is now virtually guaranteed to keep his job at St. James’ Park, as long as a takeover from Staveley is on the cards. If any other manager had taken his team on such a bad run, there would have been much more talk of the sack than there has been with Benitez. Fans also seem to understand that Benitez is by far their best option, and everyone involved now just needs to hope he gets the required backing in January. It sounds as though he has begun to identify his targets, and is now just waiting on the hierarchy to give him the go ahead on those deals. Hopefully that decision comes sooner rather than later, or the club could endure another tough transfer window.