Ex-Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez appears to have taken a swipe at the club’s hierarchy.
Ex-Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez has posted his latest blog – and it contains what appears to be a thinly-veiled dig at Mike Ashley.
The Magpies confirmed late last month that Benitez was leaving the club, having failed to come to an agreement on a new contract before his June 30th expiry.
Benitez’s exit was met with outrage from Newcastle fans, who simply couldn’t believe that owner Mike Ashley had allowed him to leave St James’ Park.
Just days later, Benitez was confirmed as the new manager of Chinese side Dalian Yifang, killing off any lingering hope that the Spaniard could yet be tempted back to the club.
Benitez got started with a 3-1 win over Henan Jianye on Sunday, thanks to a brace from Emmanuel Boateng and a penalty from Yannick Ferreira Carrasco.
Now, Benitez has posted his latest blog, talking about his start to life in China, and it includes what many will deem as something of a shot at Newcastle and specifically Ashley.
Benitez suggests that he has already had more meetings with the Dalian Yifang board in a week than he did in three years with the Newcastle board, a quite remarkable claim.
“I must say that I have had more meetings with the Chairman, the President and the General Manager this week, than I had in 3 years at Newcastle,” said Benitez. “They haven’t just been work meetings, rather signs of respect in which we have been able to appreciate the differences and similarities in our cultures,” he added.
Benitez already appreciates the communication and desire from Dalian Yifang’s officials, seemingly a world away from what he experienced at Newcastle.
Had those communication channels been greater, Benitez may well have been convinced to stay, but his relationship with Ashley completely broke down – and his latest comments will show Newcastle fans just what he thought of the structure at St James’ Park.
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