Jeff Stelling has suggested on Sky Sports News (12:30pm, February 18, 2023) Rafael Benitez as a potential managerial candidate for the Leeds United job.
The Soccer Saturday presenter on Sky Sports News has suggested that former Everton, Liverpool and Newcastle United boss Benitez would be a good managerial appointment for Leeds.
The West Yorkshire club are on the hunt for a new manager following the sacking of Jesse Marsch.
Leeds are in dire form at the moment and are in real danger of getting relegated from the Premier League to the Championship at the end of the season.
Rafael Benitez suggested for Leeds United
Stelling said: “Rafa Benitez has not been in work for a long time now. He is a manager with a fantastic CV.”
Not a bad suggestion
In our opinion, Rafael Benitez would be a good managerial appointment for Leeds United in the short term.
Why don’t Leeds see if Benitez would be open to becoming their manager until the end of the season?
The former Real Madrid boss is available now, and the chance to take charge of Leeds for the next few months could be very tempting to the Spaniard.
As Stelling notes, Benitez has a fantastic CV.
After all, you do not get to manage Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea (interim), Real Madrid, Newcastle and Everton if you are not a good manager.
Benitez has won La Liga titles with Valencia, the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool and the UEFA Europa League with Chelsea among other major trophies in his managerial career so far.
And let’s not forget that when Newcastle went down to the Championship, Benitez brought them straight back up.
Yes, Benitez plays defensive football, but the priority for Leeds right now is to stay in the Premier League by any means.
Michael Skubala is in charge of Leeds at the moment, and although former Liverpool and Everton player Don Hutchison believes that he should stay the manager, we think that Benitez would be the better option, especially as he is available right now.
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