Bookmakers have linked the Premier League legend with a move to St James’ Park.
Bookmaker SkyBet have listed Newcastle United as the 6/1 second favourites to be Steven Gerrard’s next club, but while those odds may have left Magpies supporters dreaming of pulling off a sensational switch, some comments that the Premier League legend previously made suggest that it is a dream that may never be realised.
The rumours that the Championship side may be the LA Galaxy man’s next club perhaps stem from the fact that a move to St James’ Park would probably see Gerrard play under Rafael Benitez once again, having previously worked with one another at Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard
But while the chance to reignite a partnership that inspired the Reds to Champions League triumph in 2005 and a couple of Premier League title challenges may have some Newcastle fans believing a deal could happen, Gerrard’s comments about Benitez in his 2015 autobiography, My Story (via Liverpool Echo) suggest that the midfielder may not relish the prospect of playing under the Spaniard once again.
“I can pick up the phone and speak to all of my previous Liverpool managers. Except for Rafa. It’s a shame because we probably shared the biggest night of both our careers — the 2005 Champions League victory in Istanbul — and yet there is no bond between us,” he wrote in My Story (via Liverpool Echo).
Steven Gerrard and manager Rafael Benitez – Liverpool celebrate winning the FA Cup
“I used to think he favoured our Spanish-speakers. He was an especially big fan of South American players, which is fine. It caused no problem between us.
“At press conferences he might call other players by their first name but I was always ‘Gerrard’. It was the same in the dressing room. He would read out the team and use nicknames. But, for me, it would just be ‘Gerrard’.”
Given Gerrard’s stature within the game, it was always going to be a monumental task trying to bring him to Newcastle. And it could perhaps be argued that making a move for the 36-year-old may be a poor decision anyway.
Benitez’s men look well on course for promotion to the Premier League, so it appears that they do not necessarily need to add Gerrard to their ranks to ensure they enjoy some success this term.
And given the wages that the former England skipper will surely look for, bringing him to St James’ Park would represent a gamble that Newcastle simply do not need to take, especially if his arrival has an impact on their other dealings during the transfer window.
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