The Times is reporting today that Rafa Benitez has been offered a one-year contract extension to keep him at the club through June of next year.
Rafa’s presence at Newcastle is extremely important so that Mike Ashley can once and for all sell the club to more ambitious owners who are willing to help Rafa financially to build the team he wants on Tyneside.
And Ashley is unlikely to allow much spending this January, but he has never done that in any of the last two January transfer windows, so that’s not too surprising.
Apparently, the deal is that if Rafa signs a one-year extension, then he will get some funds to bring in new players this month – but how much is not known.
Mike Ashley tried this barefaced tactic with Benitez in the summer, and it fell flat as Rafa refused to sign any new deal until he got some assurances from the owner.
He’s likely to do the same thing this time around.
The club just have to hope that a takeover deal can be struck in the next few weeks.
But negotiating with Ashley must be very difficult.
Ashley thinks that a one-year guarantee to stay on from Benitez Benitez will provide assurances for him and the club as he (reportedly) tries to sell the club.
But the likelihood is that they will get to the end of January with two or three loan players in from the continent and the takeover deal seems no closer to completion.
They hope they are wrong on that, but they are being realistic given Ashley’s history at the club.
What do you think?