Life amongst the Newcastle United fans here in the Transfer Tavern has turned rather sour of late. Indeed, while our resident Geordies are delighted to be out of the relegation zone again, their lack of activity so far this month has proven really rather frustrating.
With that in mind, some of the more cynical punters amongst our regulars are starting to fear for the future of Rafa Benitez. This isn’t a new fear on Tyneside, though the fact Stoke City recently axed Mark Hughes had led to suggestions that those in Potteries were keen on the Spaniard.
Benitez has, in the past, made it perfectly clear that he’s been frustrated by Mike Ashley’s unwillingness to spend. With that in mind, amid all the fear, an update from Guillem Balague on Twitter has at least allayed some of it amongst our drinkers clad in black and white.
Nobody from @stokecity have approached Rafa Benitez. He actually has enough on his plate as it is…
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) January 10, 2018
He revealed that there has been NO contact from Stoke, much to the delight of the Magpies in our bar.
Landlord’s Verdict:
While Benitez may soon grow bored of the constant struggles behind the scenes at St. James’ Park, the idea of him moving to Stoke is an odd one. At risk of relegation, it’d be a sideways move for the former Liverpool and Real Madrid coach, with less of an uplift if Newcastle get it right.
Thoughts?
