Former Newcastle United striker Shola Ameobi has said that it’s imperative that the club keep hold of manager Rafael Benitez.
The Spaniard is in the final months of his contract, with no extension agreed as of yet.
However, Ameobi believes the club would be mad to let the former Liverpool boss go.
“He has got that aura about him which you need at Newcastle United,” he told The Chronicle. “It’s such a storied club with fans that understand the game too. Rafa knows that, and what the club is all about – that is why the fans have taken to him so much.
“He is such a great manager and like I say it will be such a shame if we don’t keep him because he is the key. The manager is the key to [the] success of any team but when you have a manager like him you don’t want to be letting him go. It is imperative for us to do all we can to keep him.”
OPINION
Amoebi is spot on, here. Benitez is absolutely crucial to everything Newcastle are doing and has been a big part of them solidifying themselves as a Premier League team again. As Ameobi says, he knows and loves the club and its history and that’s why the fans are so taken with him. He understands that this is a massive team who should be doing far better than they have been over the last decade or so. However, if the club allow him to slip through their grasp this summer it will be a devastating blow. There’s just no way that the Magpies could hope of attracting a manager as good as Benitez were the Spaniard to leave. He is as good as it gets for a club of this size. Just look at the teams he’s managed: Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, the list goes on. He is absolutely world class and it is vital that he remains on Tyneside beyond the end of the season.
