Stan Collymore stated that if he was Rafa Benitez there was no way he would sign a new Newcastle United contract.
The outspoken pundit revealed that Magpies owner Mike Ashley may have caved and opened his wallet in January but shared that he thought as long as the businessman was at the club, there was no real chance of success.
Collymore added that it was a shame this was the scenario at the Magpies and added that Benitez would be more than in credit if he kept the club in England’s top-flight for another season.
“So, Mike Ashley has caved in and open his wallet. Not before time. But if I were Rafa Benitez, there’s no way I’d sign a new contract. As long as Ashley is in situ there is no real chance of success,” wrote Collymore in his column for The People (page 51).
“It’s a shame but Rafa would be more than credit if he delivered Premier League football to Tyneside again next season.”
OPINION
Not many Newcastle United fans will disagree with Collymore’s opinion on this occasion as while they love Benitez to stay, they know the manager has every right to pack his bags and walk out the door. With the Spanish manager’s contract widely known to be expiring at the end of the current season, Ashley really needed to pull out the stops in January in order for the boss to stay. While the owner did sanction the signing of Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United, more signings where cash was invested should have arrived at the club in January. Also based on the Daily Mirror’s report that states that Ashley feels he can demand a decision out of Benitez about his future within six weeks, isn’t going to go down well. The Spanish manager is well entitled to take his time over deciding whether to extend his time at St James Park, just like Ashley took his time to sanction a deal that would break the club’s transfer record.