Rafa Benitez will officially leave Newcastle United this Sunday, as Spanish expert, Graham Hunter spoke in depth about what he will do next and whether he could end up at an Everton, Tottenham Hotspur or Arsenal in the near future.
Spanish football expert Graham Hunter has stated that he could see Rafa Benitez managing Arsenal in the future, but not Tottenham Hotspur following his departure from Newcastle United.
Benitez will leave Newcastle once his contract expires this Sunday, and he will have to watch on from the outside, for now, as his former club battle it out against the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal next season.
During his career, Benitez has managed the likes of Valencia, and his famous spell at Liverpool where he won the Champions League trophy in one of the most dramatic finals ever played.
But what next for the Spaniard? And which team could manage in England in the near future?
Speaking to Off the Ball’s official YouTube account, Spanish football journalist Hunter stated that he could see Benitez heading to China, for now, as he explained why a job at the Emirates Stadium could await him in the near future.
“My respect for him is high,” Hunter told Off the Ball. “I meet and Speak to him regularly – to come to your point about where he is going to go [next], he was playing a game where he held the cards and I don’t think it was a false game. That there is an offer from China, and probably he is going to take that rather than go to La Liga, he let Newcastle know about it.
On what could happen to Benitez in these next 18 months: “My bet is he wouldn’t go to Everton. As for Spurs, they demand a brand of football and Rafa Benitez is the hard-boiled version of Pochettino. I would be a little surprised given the trajectory of Tottenham Hotspur that’s where he would end at.
“If you ask me about Arsenal and the way things are going, they could do worse. If Emery moves on in frustration, he is a wonderful coach. They [Arsenal] are adrift, Emery will get it right as he possibly can, but unless the club heaves too and backs him properly then I can understand at some stage that being attractive to Arsenal.”
It was obvious to one and all that Benitez was punching well above his weight at Newcastle, not because of the club he was managing, but because of the owner he was working under.
Despite working for a club that had been competing outside of Europe, Benitez has the capabilities of managing a team that is in the Europa League or even the Champions League.
Given that Tottenham are now seemingly going to spend this summer, there’s no chance the Spurs job will be available any time soon. But the problems at Arsenal are always there and it wouldn’t be a surprise to many if there’s a new man in the Emirates dugout next season.
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