Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez submitted a key document of his demands to owner Mike Ashley earlier over two weeks ago as doubts over his future continue to mount, according to the Northern Echo.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Spanish boss is willing to walk away if the club chiefs are not willing to meet what he has asked for, with a wish list said to have been sent the way of Sports Direct supremo Ashley towards the end of March.
It is stated that the document would have come as no surprise to anyone at St James’ Park, with Benitez looking for promises over his transfer budget and the control he has over the club’s recruitment, and that those close to the manager behind-the-scenes know he will not commit if the terms are not right.
Opinion
Hearing that Benitez could walk away from the club is absolutely the last thing anyone at Newcastle wants to see but it does appear as though it must be considered a real possibility now. If Ashley was willing to meet every one of the manager’s demands, he would have put pen to paper already. Instead the Magpies are still waiting to see whether they will need to find a new man in the dugout for next season. It is not like the club are in the dark about what Benitez wants from Ashley with the owner having been handed the document of his demands. Instead, it seems as though they are unwilling to act on it right now for whatever reason. The frustration from not only the Toon Army but Benitez himself will be huge and it could well be this is the straw that ends up breaking the camel’s back.