SM
Newcastle vs. West Ham: 3 hrs 43 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Rafael Benitez hints at Newcastle exit with desire to return to Champions League

:Headline: Rafael Benitez hints at Newcastle exit with desire to return to Champions League: ID:356794: from db_amp
The Newcastle boss' contract is up in June and an extension seems no closer to being signed.

Rafael Benitez plans to work until he is 70 and is desperate for another tilt at the Champions League.

As the 59-year-old waits for answers from the Newcastle hierarchy over a contract extension both are keen to agree, but which seems no closer to being signed, he is keen to compete for the game's biggest prizes once again.

Whether that comes at St James' Park, where his stay of more than three years is set to end on June 30, remains to be seen with managing director Lee Charnley insisting – as the club's latest accounts were published on Thursday – that it would continue to live within its means.

Asked how long he planned to carry on, Benitez said: "Yesterday I was talking with a friend – 11 years. Eleven years as a manager, that's fine. You can see Roy Hodgson is still there.

"I like to manage teams, I like to coach players, so I'm happy with that. Always I say, we are forward-thinking. My staff, they are young people and we are always thinking about how to improve things.

"Yesterday, we had a meeting and we were talking about cameras for the training ground, to record from different points and then have the possibility to watch from different angles, things like that, so we are always trying to use the technology, we are trying to be up-to-date, all these things."

Benitez presented Charnley, and by extension owner Mike Ashley, with his blueprint for the Magpies' future path, a plan which includes improvements to the club's training base and greater autonomy over recruitment, three weeks ago.

Talks are continuing but there has been little movement since and, with time running down, fans who have taken the former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss to their hearts are starting to fear the worst.

The Spaniard insists he does not expect to have £200million to spend on new players – Newcastle's net spend for their first season back in the top flight was just £15.7million – but he is reluctant to commit his future to a club which finds itself battling for Premier League survival.

Benitez famously won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, and asked how he would feel if he was told he would never be involved in the competition again, he replied: "Good question.

"I like to – and I want to – compete for trophies and the best trophy is the Champions League, so I would like to have the possibility in the next 11 years to win the Champions League."

amp_article__356794 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-04-19 23:14:09:
html db last update - 2019-04-19 23:14:09 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Rafael Benitez

Click here for more stories about Newcastle United

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .