Newcastle United chief Lee Charnley is hoping for a swift manager appointment as he narrows down the club’s hunt to a four-man shortlist, according to the Daily Star.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Magpies have lined up Manchester City coach Mikel Arteta, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, Burnley manager Sean Dyche and OGC Nice’s Patrick Vieira, who is said to remain in Newcastle’s sights despite seemingly ruling himself out earlier this week.
The report also says that there could be a fifth candidate on their radar.
It is stated that Charnley, Newcastle’s managing director, hopes to unveil Rafael Benitez’s replacement over the next seven days before jetting off to China next Thursday (11 July), with Neil Redfearn and Ben Dawson taking charge of the start of the pre-season preparations.
Opinion
Charnley had best get whittling those options down if he wants to finalise a deal over the coming week. We have seen how they were unsuccessful in agreeing on terms with Rafa Benitez despite months and months of contract negotiations and they simply cannot afford to warrant a similar situation when it comes to finding his replacement. It would not be the end of the world if they could find someone to take charge over the next seven days but the chances of that happening do seem pretty unlikely. The candidates mentioned are all in jobs at the moment and so that means not only negotiating with the potential appointments but having to agree on a potential figure with their current clubs or side for their release. Newcastle might be a big club but these coaches will all be wondering whether they can work under Mike Ashley as an owner – after all, one of the world’s most renowned coaches has chosen to walk away. Charnley might be hopeful of a new man in soon but you can be sure the Newcastle fans do not share his faith.
