OPINION
Steve Bruce has done nothing wrong at the beginning of this Premier League season, but many Newcastle fans will still look back at the summer and hope that Rafael Benitez was still at the club. The Champions League winner made it clear he wanted to remain at St James’ Park, but it wasn’t to be in the end. Benitez could yet return to the top flight as early as this season with many clubs looking for new managers. The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday evening that Premier League rivals West Ham United had been dealt a blow by Dalian Yifang in their pursuit of Benitez. The newspaper claimed on their website that the Hammers would need to pay up to £20million to bring the Spaniard back to England should they replace Manuel Pellegrini. That no doubt got Newcastle fans thinking, that they could have had that clause on Benitez should they have kept hold of him in the summer. All Mike Ashley had to do was offer him a suitable contract at St James’ Park, but even that was too much for the controversial owner. Many Newcastle fans reacted to the update on Benitez’ future with a sense of relief that he will possibly not be returning, before going on to claim that he would be worth every penny.
Nothing But Newcastle have picked out some of the best reactions below:
