OPINION
Things at Newcastle United are hardly going smoothly right now, with the Magpies languishing in the bottom three of the Premier League, the club officially still up for sale by owner Mike Ashley and the future of manager Rafael Benitez up in the air.
The poor start to the campaign could be put down to what many would call a nightmare run of fixtures, with clashes against four of last season’s top six in their opening six matches – the other two games ending 0-0 for the Magpies.
However, it has been nearly a year since Ashley put the club up for sale and despite much speculation remains on Tyneside, and it seems as though his presence at St James’ Park is causing doubts in Benitez’s mind over whether he wants to commit to a long-term deal, his current contract expiring at the end of the season.
While things can change in the blink of an eye in football, it seems as though the Magpies are already in a crucial week which could make or break not only the rest of their campaign but their future as a whole.
That is because the Chronicle are claiming that Benitez and all the heads of department at the club, as well as chief executive Lee Charnley and members of the scouting team, are set for major discussions which will include the manager delivering his wish list for the winter transfer window.
The Spaniard is said to be looking at the club to start loosening the purse strings when it comes to signings, and if they were to comply, not only would it mean a strengthened first team, it could go a long way to keeping Benitez in charge.
With contract talks having reportedly hit a brick wall previously, this could be the chance for amends to be made and get everyone singing off the same hymn sheet – and if that were the case, Newcastle could be in for a bright future.
The other option would hardly be bearable for the Toon Army.