Rafa Benitez will leave Newcastle United if the club do not make the two signings he asked for at the beginning of January, according to The Telegraph.
The Spaniard has made no secret of his desire to strengthen his squad this month, with the Magpies currently sat just two points above the relegation zone.
It is understood that Benitez is approaching breaking point over the lack of transfer activity at St. James’ Park, and could walk away from the Toon Army if things are not rectified this transfer window.
The report suggest that the manager would prefer to stay on Tyneside, but may consider it ‘impossible’ to do so if no acquisitions are made.
OPINION
This is a massive claim from The Telegraph, and not one that Newcastle fans will want to hear. Benitez is arguably the only thing preventing the Magpies from slipping down to the Championship and without him the second half of the season would be a whole lot harder for the Toon Army. He has consolidated a very average squad that is being stretched incredibly thin, and he deserves all the credit in the world for that. The Spaniard appears to adore the club, and it’s hard to envisage him walking away part way through a season, but he you couldn’t blame him if he did. Window after window he has had to suffer the frustration of virtually no backing from his board, and at some point his patience has to run out. This January has the feeling of potentially being a massive one for United, and if they don’t invest, they might lose more than they bargained for.
