Former Liverpool manager and Newcastle boss,Rafael Benitez in interview with talkSPORT’s Laura Woods and Stuart Pearce has said his future is still uncertain.
Benitez has not had any further talks with the club regarding his contract as it gets closer to expiration and he has urged them to decide whether to progress to the next level or not quickly,according to talkSports.
He has however, asked the clubs’s chiefs to make plans has the transfer market draws near;
”You can see the potential every single weekend.
”The city is behind the team, the stadium is full of fans every weekend and now we have to decide if we want to compete between 7th and 10th or between 15th and 17th.
”At the moment the wage bill is really really important, not just the transfer fees. If you want to attract good players with good quality you have to pay them good salaries because the other teams are doing that.
”The teams between 7th and 10th are spending ÂŁ100m and they are spending money on players on ÂŁ100,000 a week so we have to decide if we want to compete with them or not.
”I’m not asking for anything. I want some balance between the money you can spend and pay in relation to the teams that compete.
”We have the likes of Martin Dubravka and Salomon Rondon who give everything and they give the young players the time to get better and better.
Me, as a manager, I’m not asking for more I just want us to be sure that we clarify. It’s not what we say, it’s what we do.
When asked whether talks for a new contract have advanced, Benitez said: “No and I don’t want to take advantage of anything. At this stage of the season you have to make decisions.
Newcastle still have three games left this season, and the manager called for the club to begin the recruitment process for new signings now.
”If you want to sign players then you have to do it now.
”You cannot keep talking and talking because you cannot pay more money than some of the other teams so you have to go early and you have to find the right one and you have to do it now, Rafael Benitez added.