Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer believes that the club will avoid relegation but see manager Rafa Benitez walk away at the end of the season.
The Magpies currently sit in 16th place on 25 points from 26 games, lying just a point above the relegation zone with the business end of the season approaching.
Manager Benitez has endured a rocky relationship with owner Mike Ashley, who has failed to properly back the Spaniard in the last two transfer windows.
January saw the Magpies sign Kenedy, Martin Dubravka and Islam Slimani on loan from fellow Premier League sides, but they also missed out on several targets after Benitez was left in the dark about budget.
In a column for The Sun, Shearer said: “If Newcastle fans trust my judgement then I have good news. We are staying up. Just! It will be tight and may even come down to goal difference but I firmly believe we will do it. I saw the draw at Palace and there is no lack of fight and commitment among the players. But more crucially, we have a top class manager in Rafa Benitez. Someone whose love of the Newcastle fans has kept him at the club through a tough time. He will not desert the ship and let it sink but nobody could blame him given the lack of support he has had from the helm.
“With the exception of attendances, there are no good stats where owner Mike Ashley is involved. The 52,400 that attend St James’ every week is not down to him either but a deep-seated loyalty which he will never understand. Newcastle’s a very big club but one that in 11 years under Ashley, has a net transfer spend of £49million. Given the gates and TV money the club has had, even with yo-yo years, that tells a shameful story.”
Shearer went on to issue a stark warning to fans of the club about the future of Benitez this summer.
“Newcastle should be bigger and better than this but under Ashley we never will be. Unfortunately Benitez recognises it too and we will probably lose him at the end of the season. Another huge chance has been missed,” he said.
OPINION
Shearer’s words will worry Newcastle fans, and it is easy to see why he thinks Benitez will walk away. Here is a massive club with a high turnover which is just not giving him the money he needs to strengthen. Why would such a top manager stay in such an untenable job? One situation where Benitez would stay is if a takeover happens before the summer, but after the ending of talks with PCP Capital Partners, that eventuality looks dead in the water. Unless Ashley decides to buck up his ideas and spend, then Benitez could well be on his way in the summer.