Jamie Carragher has a warning for Newcastle over Rafa Benitez future

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Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has been having his say on the developments at Newcastle United this week.

Financier Staveley has submitted a formal takeover offer to Newcastle owner Mike Ashley to buy the club, as reported by Sky Sports.

According to Sky, Ms Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners tabled a bid to buy Newcastle from Mr Ashley late last week following more than two months of negotiations.

Sky Sports claims Newcastle have denied the bid is worth in the region of £300m.

PCP’s money is a combination of Ms Staveley’s equity and that of her major investors, which include funds based in the Middle East.

The news is welcomed by Magpies fans who are desperate to see their club compete with the Premier League elite in the transfer market once again.

And speaking on Sky Sports‘ Monday Night Football show, former Liverpool star turned pundit Carragher fired a warning to Ashley and any potential new owners over the future of Benitez, a man he feels they are lucky to have.

“When Rafa Benitez eventually leaves Newcastle it’s going to be a long time before they get a manager with that sort of CV, a Champions League-winning manager who has managed Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan and all these top clubs” Carragher told MNF.

“So you think if you want investment and you want to push the club on, now is the time and something has to happen now (to keep Benitez at St James’ Park).

“The problem they have is he (Benitez) doesn’t have the players or the team to compete, never mind (with) Man United, but probably not even teams around the top six, top seven really.

“How long if that continues, if Rafa Benitez got an offer from a club further up the league or someone in the Champions League, chasing Champions League is he going to take that?”

Benitez has been linked with the likes of West Ham this season but the Hammers replaced Slaven Bilic with David Moyes.

However the Scotsman is only on a six-month contract and should the East Londoners survive this season, David Sullivan and David Gold could come knocking for the Spaniard again after coming close to securing him as manager before he agreed to take the Real Madrid job.