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Benitez warns off Arteta and Vieira

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Rafa Benitez has warned both Mikel Arteta and Patrick Vieira off the Newcastle manager job, according to the Sun. 

The report claims that both candidates spoke to Benitez on the phone, with Vieira ruling himself out last week after a conversation with the former Newcastle manager.

Arteta followed suit yesterday, with Benitez reportedly criticising figures above him at the club.

Benitez issued a statement after his contract expired at the club that stated: “Unfortunately, it became increasingly clear to me that those at the top of the club did not share the same vision”.

VERDICT

If you want to find out what it’s like to work under Mike Ashley, who better to ask than Benitez? He spent three years at Newcastle, brought the club back up into the Premier League and kept them there with solid 10th and 13th placed finishes. Newcastle fans were desperate to see him agree an extended contract but he couldn’t find agreement with Ashley and said in an interview with the Times that it wasn’t about money. Instead, it was about the ‘vision’ for the club and Newcastle fans are certainly on the side of their former manager. Is it right that Benitez is now possibly harming the club by putting off prospective candidates? If he’s asked for his opinion he should give it an honest appraisal of what’s in store for prospective new managers at St James’ Park. We doubt that fans are surprised that managers are being out off working under Ashley. Both Arteta and Vieira would have been dynamic, progressive options, but Steve Bruce’s name has been pushed to the front of the news in the past couple of days. Bruce responded to the speculation and revealed that he hadn’t had an official approach from the club [source: Chronicle] but did nothing to rule out taking the job. 

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