Rafa Benitez will want to work in the Premier League again after he departs Newcastle United at the expiry of his contract this month, according to Spanish football expert Graham Hunter.
Speaking on Tuesday's OTB AM, Hunter detailed Benitez's disappointment to be departing Newcastle, after the announcement was made by the club on Monday. Hunter argued that Benitez was the Premier League’s highest performing manager last season and would have wanted to continue to improve his Newcastle team.
"I felt that I had to go to Rafa [for manager of the season]. Pound for pound, not only given the resources but given the frustration.”
"His ideal [situation] was to be at Newcastle, in order to carve himself out a shot at a bigger club in the Premier League in the coming two or three years, and that dream has been taken away from him.”
However, in the meantime, Hunter believes Rafa is most likely to head to China with a potentially much higher salary and a lack of intriguing options in Spain and England driving him towards the Chinese Super League.
"There is an offer for him in China, which I think he is probably going to take rather than go to La Liga.”
"I don’t quite see the available option [in the Premier League] right this instant, and when you sign into Rafa’s creed you need to know your fanbase well because you are going to get pragmatic football, and at the moment I don’t see that the option is quite ready for him in La Liga either, and the salary that he’s about to command in China can’t be matched by anybody that would want him in La Liga.”
Although Benitez seems unlikely to be managing in the Premier League next season, his long-term plan appears to be to manage in the Premier League in the future, Hunter explained.
“He’s very emotionally attached to England... he will be leaving the Premier League with: ‘this is not goodbye, this is see you later.’”
For the coming season, it appears the Premier League will be missing Rafa Benitez, as he looks set to take a job in China while Newcastle have been linked with a host of names to replace the Spaniard, including David Moyes and Claudio Ranieri.
Written by Alex McCarthy.
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