Rafa Benitez makes shock Mike Ashley admission - & hints at potential NUFC return
Rafa Benitez admits he told Mike Ashley in MAY that he would not be staying - making the club's delay in announcing his departure or approaching potential replacements all the more shambolic.
Rafa has also opened the door to a potential return to Tyneside after he conquers China, hinting that he'd be 'happy to come back' but we'll have to hope this cancerous regime are long gone by then if we're to have any hope of bringing him back.
Here's what he's had to say during his latest interview in China, revealing that Mike Ashley and co. knew he was leaving just days after their meeting in mid-May:
“Newcastle need to think about the new season,"
"I have a great challenge ahead of me. But I will say that, after the meeting in London, it was a clear decision for me. A few days later, we told the club we would not extend the contract.
“We had been waiting for a solution to the takeover.
“But we were losing other offers. In the end, we couldn’t wait any more. Being without a job wasn’t an option.
“So we decided the project in China was an interesting one because they want to invest in every single department to improve the club.”
This really does make a mockery of what is already an absolutely shambolic situation at St James' Park right now. They knew in the middle of May, yet we were lead to believe there was still a chance of him staying a month later and left wondering for weeks on end, praying the club would buckle and offer him the terms he needed to stay.
Here's what Rafa then had to say about his future, doing little to rule out a potential return to Tyneside:
"I expect to do well with Dalian Yifang and after that to come back to the UK.
"I don’t know when. But you are always happy to come back where people appreciate your effort and commitment – and Newcastle United’s fans have been one of the best in my management career.
"I can only offer them my gratitude. I showed my commitment from day one and they supported me all the time – even when things on the pitch were not going well.
“They supported the team and me. I sincerely hope they can achieve their potential. They deserve the best they can get.”
Great to hear from Rafa, but extremely bittersweet given the torrid situation we know find ourselves in.
The fact we failed to keep Rafa is one thing, but failing to communicate or act on the fact a new manager was needed shows just how much Mike Ashley and co. are happy to neglect this club.
