Scottish champions Celtic have taken a look at Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez, according to The Chronicle.
The newspaper claimed on their news and transfer centre [14/05; 09:23] that the Hoops are considering their options in regards to Brendan Rodgers’s permanent successor.
Neil Lennon has been in caretaker charge for the last few months and is known to want the job full time, but Celtic chiefs have been monitoring Benitez’s situation at St James’ Park.
There is much uncertainty over the Spaniard’s future, with him now in the final two months of his contract and no new deal agreed.
OPINION
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to any Newcastle supporters, really. Celtic are right to consider every avenue when they consider the permanent replacement for an incredibly successful manager in Rodgers. When moving on from someone like the Northern Irishman they need to ensure that they get his successor spot on. Lennon has come in and done a decent job, but the Hoops may feel that they can do better than their former player and manager. Benitez would, on paper, certainly be an upgrade on Lennon. He is a big fish who has achieved amazing things in management in several different countries. However, would the Spaniard really decide to leave the Magpies for a team like Celtic? They are obviously a huge club who are absolutely dominant in Scotland, but if Benitez feels frustrated by the glass ceiling at Newcastle, surely he’d be banging his head against the wall at Parkhead. So this isn’t something that the Toon Army should be too concerned about at this point.
