Newcastle United are in continued negotiations with manager Rafael Benitez as the club head in the right direction to keeping the Spaniard on past the end of his current contract, according to journalist Chris Waugh.
The Chronicle writer, speaking to Southampton’s official website ahead of their Premier League clash this weekend, stated that despite there being speculation that no progress was being made over keeping the boss on board, the club are in discussions and it is looking more and more likely that he will commit to a new deal.
The Spanish boss’ current deal runs out this summer, but Waugh said: “I’m not sure we’re quite at the stage yet where we can conclusively state that Benitez will be Newcastle manager next season, but we are certainly heading in that direction.
The 59-year-old wants to stay at St James’ Park and eventually turn Newcastle into a regular top-eight club, but he will only commit his long-term future to the club if he genuinely believes the hierarchy match his own ambitions. Negotiations are on-going, and I do hope a positive resolution can be reached before the end of the campaign.”
Opinion
There are so many mixed signals when it comes to Benitez’s future that the Toon Army will not know what to think. Just as one report suggests that things are looking bleak, with a lack of progress made behind-the-scenes, this claim comes around and tips the Spaniard to be putting pen to paper sooner rather than later. One thing is for certain – Newcastle United fans are desperate for the whole saga to be put to bed. It would break their hearts to see the popular boss depart St James’ Park but the longer they have to wait for an answer, the worse the pain would be. If the club have no intentions of giving Benitez what he wants they should tell him that and release a statement saying that he will not be staying past the end of his deal. It would not be what the fans want to hear, but better to tell them the truth than build up hope only to see it shattered come the summer.