OPINION
The Newcastle United supporters have been waiting a long time to hear some more news on manager Rafael Benitez’s future.
However, sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. That’s because The Northern Echo reported on Thursday that the Magpies have delivered their final contract offer and are now awaiting a response from the manager. Indeed, they won’t be making a fresh attempt to keep the former Liverpool chief.
What will have the Newcastle faithful biting their nails, though, is that Benitez is thought to have had the club’s contract offer for two weeks now, and seemingly has done nothing with it. That surely spells trouble.
That update is hugely concerning. Obviously he was always going to take time when deciding his future, especially when there is interest in him from elsewhere as well, but two weeks seems a bit excessive, doesn’t it? Surely he would have some indication on what he wanted to do by then.
The worrying thing for the Toon Army is that both parties seem to be equally obdurate. Benitez is always going to want more than the club are willing to give him, in terms of freedom in the transfer market etc, while the Magpies will be eager to maintain their own way of doing things.
The two seem to have cancelled each other out at the moment, it seems. But the Newcastle supporters will be aware that the fact that Benitez has had the contract offer for two weeks now and hasn’t signed it is extremely concerning.
There’s still hope, of course, but we’re just 24 days away from Benitez’s contract expiring. Yet he stills seems to be in no hurry to sign a new deal. That will be keeping the Magpies faithful up at night, there’s no doubt about that.
