Newcastle United have achieved their pre-season target of 40 points with five games left to play, earning manager Rafael Benitez further praise.
The Spaniard has excelled on a shoestring budget on Tyneside, landing impressive loan recruits in January after capturing Kenedy and Martin Dubravka, alongside Islam Slimani, helping to fire the club to a top-half position after their lowly spot at 18th earlier in the campaign.
Those performances have not gone unnoticed, with Benitez’s future at St. James’ Park still uncertain, and the experienced boss has admitted he’s ‘flattered’ by links suggesting he could succeed Arsene Wenger at the Emirates Stadium.
However, Benitez told The Daily Mail that discussions of an extended period on Tyneside have already begun.
“The fact that you get linked, it is something positive because it makes you proud of your career trajectory. People in England are conscious of the fact that experience in the Premier League is important and, what is more, you go to other competitions and other leagues and win as well.”
‘Yes, in principal we are relaxed. We have one more year of contract and now the board are trying that we talk a little bit about the future because the talk now is always about “projects”. With so much investment it is increasingly difficult but they want to link us to the club for more time so that we can make a stronger team if possible.’
