Newcastle United are pursuing a new manager after Rafael Benitez’s exit.
According to the Daily Star, Newcastle United’s Lee Charnley has established a ‘four or five-man shortlist’ for the vacant managerial post – at Patrick Vieira is on it.
The Magpies announced last week that Rafael Benitez was leaving the club at the end of his contract, a hugely unpopular move that has left many supporters beyond angry.
Newcastle must now find a replacement, and they need to do it quickly with just over a month of the transfer window left to run.
It’s now believed that Charnley has put together a shortlist, which features Mikel Arteta, Sean Dyche and Roberto Martinez, but also Patrick Vieira.
Earlier this week, Nice boss Vieira declared that he was staying with the Ligue 1 side and had no intention of leaving the club, as reported by The Chronicle amid links to Newcastle.
That doesn’t seem to have deterred Newcastle, and they’ll still pursue Vieira alongside a number of other coaches as they attempt to secure a new manager quickly.
Vieira, 43, is a huge name from his playing days with Arsenal, and has won just over 42% of his games as a manager across spells with New York City FC and Nice.
The Frenchman is still somewhat inexperienced, which may worry some supporters after having a wily veteran in Benitez, and it seems that Newcastle will have to make him an unbelievable offer to tempt him – but you just never know.
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