“The board is trying to get us to sit down” – Benitez opens up to Marca about Newcastle future

Newcastle United fans would dearly like Rafael Benitez to stay with the club for the foreseeable future.

With the ownership situation continuing to be up in the air, there’s always the worry Benitez will believe investment isn’t around the corner and as such will look to leave the club.

But a good end to the season could be all Benitez needs to feel some optimism ahead of the new campaign and despite Marca and others linking him with the Real Sociedad job, it’s always seemed at arms length… kicked into the long grass for the end of the season.

Speaking to the Spanish newspaper, Benitez was asked about his future at Newcastle United, and explained: “I have one more year of contract and I am calm. The board is trying to get us to sit down and talk about the future so we can spend more time here and build a stronger team.”

Marca didn’t take it any further than that, it was simply a brief chat with the former Real Madrid and Liverpool manager, but it certainly sounds at least a little positive for Newcastle.

Benitez will have to be assured of some level of investment in his team and, perhaps crucially, that he won’t be forced into selling any of Newcastle’s key players.