Rafael Benitez set to leave Newcastle United

Bad news for Newcastle United and its fans as Rafael Benitez will no longer be their manager.

Newcastle United knew that keeping Rafael Benitez as their manager was going to do be a difficult task. Throughout the season there were reports that this might have been it for Benitez as club manager. However, there was still some optimism that an agreement on a new contract could be reached.

But Newcastle United’s worst fears have come to fruition as Rafael Benitez will leave the club once his current deal expires.

Newcastle United posted a tweet with a link to a press release to confirm the news.

In the brief press release they express disappointment in the fact that the two sides were unable to agree on a new deal. They also confirm that he will officially no longer be the manager once his contract ends on June 30th and that Newcastle now begin the process of hiring a replacement.

While Newcastle supporters are sure to be disappointed about the outcome, they knew this was always a possibility and perhaps the most likely scenario.

Why?

Mike Ashley, of course.

The issues Rafael Benitez faced during his tenure as manager could all be traced back to Mike Ashley and his ownership at the club. The most glaring issue is the ability to sign new players and of their transfer policy.

It certainly was a point of contention when both Benitez and Ashley met face-to-face a while back trying to work out a new deal.

A report by The Guardian states, “While the owner is prepared to offer his manager a sizeable transfer budget – £50m plus any cash raised from player sales next season has been mentioned – Benitez would like increased freedom to sign players aged over 25 in addition to flexibility over the wage bill.”

If anything caused talks to break down, the aforementioned transfer budget and policy was probably it.

Benitez has done well during his time as manager. He stayed on when Newcastle were relegated and immediately brought them back up. He did well keeping them in the division as many had Newcastle as relegation fodder when the season started.

His ambition was to fight for European places but in order to do that, the club needed investment. With Mike Ashley hesitant to do that and with rumors of a takeover still up in the air, it was going to be an uphill battle for the Spanish manager.

In the end, this is going to hurt Newcastle United more than it will Rafael Benitez. Newcastle now have to begin a search for a replacement and one that has to at least do as good of a job as the Spaniard.

As for Benitez, he can take a sabbatical should he choose to do so. Having rebuilt his image after a bad spell at Real Madrid and looking at what he was able to do with a limited budget, he undoubtedly is an attractive choice for any club looking for a manager with pedigree.