Former Newcastle United player Mick Quinn believes that Magpies manager Rafael Benitez will leave the club at the end of the season.
The Spaniard’s contract with the club is up in the summer, and Quinn believes his departure is inevitable if there’s not some serious change at St James’ Park.
“The club is absolutely in limbo,” he told talkSPORT. “There’s nothing coming down from the club to the fans to say… any communication – any communication.
“So everything’s just stagnating at the moment, it’s almost toxic. Then, of course, Rafa’s contract is up at the end of the season. He’s gone, for me, if things don’t change in regards of getting players in. Where will they go if they do get relegated and he goes? I can’t see them getting back up.”
“The club is absolutely in limbo, so we’re stagnating. It’s almost toxic.” ⚠️
“Rafa’s contract is up in the summer. He’s gone if things don’t change.”@MickQuinn1089 tells @talkSPORTDrive he’s worried about #NUFC’s future. pic.twitter.com/LJdUaoadnM
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) January 28, 2019
OPINION
It’s hard to disagree with anything Quinn is saying, here. The feeling at the club right now is one of total apathy from ownership towards supporters and towards the manager. If Benitez was frustrated with the Magpies’ lack of activity in the transfer window in the summer, what must he be thinking now? At a crucial time of the season, with the team very much in a relegation dogfight, nobody has been brought in at the time of writing. That is simply inexcusable. Newcastle needed some serious investment this month to give them a bit of breathing room and it’s just not happened. As Quinn says, Benitez is likely to leave if things don’t change. And why wouldn’t he? He is far too good for the nonsense that goes on on Tyneside. He deserves to be appreciated for the top class manager he is, and Mike Ashley clearly doesn’t respect the fine job he has done at St James’ Park.
