Paul Merson has called on Newcastle United to hire Rafael Benitez ahead of Paulo Fonseca.
Newcastle are on the search for a new manager after sacking Steve Bruce earlier in October.
With the Magpies’ new owners boasting a wealth of £320 billion, this will be a highly-coveted role.
All signs so far indicate that the St James’s Park club could hire Fonseca, who was sacked by Roma last season.
According to The Northern Echo, Benitez, who quit Newcastle in 2019, is happy at Everton and has no intentions of returning to Tyneside.
But Merson has told The Star that the relegation-threatened Magpies should do everything in their power to re-sign the Spaniard, claiming he’s the best man to lead them to safety in the Premier League.
He said: “Newcastle should push the boat out and bring Rafa Benitez back to the club. I’ve said before. They are in trouble. They need a firefighter who knows the league and can keep them up – and Benitez would do that.
“They’re talking about Paulo Fonseca? Wow. He just got the sack for Jose Mourinho. How long would it take him to get to know the players and the league? Benitez knows them all already – and is massively popular with the fans.”
Gamechanger
Bringing Benitez back would spike PIF’s popularity even more, if that’s at all possible after ousting the villainous Mike Ashley.
But it just isn’t feasible because it appears as if the 61-year-old is quite content with life at Everton right now.
Having said that, one part of Benitez must love to know what he could do at St James’s Park this time around.
He did a fine job during his previous stint and remember, that was without much backing from upstairs.
With the sort of money these Newcastle owners could give him to spend, it’s a gamechanger.
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