OPINION
There would be few who would argue that Rafael Benitez has made many mistakes while manager of Newcastle United, and his record would back him up.
After being relegated to the Championship many thought the Champions League winning boss would walk away from the challenge, but instead he committed himself to a three-year contract and set about rebuilding the Magpies from the second tier.
A title winning campaign, courtesy of some last day drama, brought a bit of hope back to Tyneside but no one would have been expecting the way their return to the Premier League went.
A tumultuous campaign saw the north east outfit battling it out at the bottom of the table, but come May and the Magpies were sitting pretty in 10th, an outstanding achievement for every member of the Newcastle squad.
One man who will not be taking much credit is Chancel Mbemba, and his fall from grace is one of Benitez’s few, but biggest, mistakes.
The versatile defender, who has played everywhere along the back four, managed to make just nine Premier League appearances – and for a 42-cap international who is captain of his country, it would have been something of an embarrassment.
On the pitch, the powerhouse defender did not look too bad – perhaps lacking the match practice but when the 23-year-old was used so sparingly, it was to be expected.
His performances on the training ground must have secured his fate, but as a manager, you want your best players playing, and Mbemba certainly looked to offer more than Javier Manquillo did.
Benitez is known for his demands when it comes to work ethic and the Spaniard should have been drilling that into the defender – but then again, with Premier League survival on the line, he likely did not have time to focus on an individual that way.
Now the Chronicle are claiming Mbemba’s agent has been told to find his man a new club with Hoffenheim and Anderlecht lurking, and his imminent exit will mark the end of Benitez’s biggest mistake – letting the talented defender regress into a second rate enforcer.