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Rafael Benitez contract with Napoli expires in Summer

Rafael Benitez has a contract with Napoli that expires in the summer which means that in only a few months, the Italian manager is going to decide on whether or not to continue being in charge of Napoli or take charge of another club.

Rafael Benitez has a contract with Napoli that expires in the summer which means that in only a few months, the Italian manager is going to decide on whether or not to continue being in charge of Napoli or take charge of another club.

Benitez has already turned down the opportunity to coach Peru and this has added more fuel to the speculation that he could be returning to the Premier League. The South American country gave Benitez the chance to coach their national football team into the next World Cup but it seems like the manager was simply not interested as he might have other things in his plans.

“Basically, I haven’t made any decision yet. I have three months to find out what my future will be. The club and I both know how things stand.” This was a statement which was released by Benitez earlier in January as the Italian coach said that he was unsure about his future.

On May 27 of 2013 Benitez took charge of Napoli and so far it has been an impressive time for Napoli as they managed to win the Coppa Italia in the previous season and are currently located in the 3rd spot of the Italian League, Serie A.

Liverpool and Newcastle United are the clubs of the Premier League that have been linked with Benitez as the Italian club is rumored to be edging closer of taking charge these clubs.

Newcastle United is currently being coached by John Carver as he was selected as the interim coach until the end of the 2014-15 season after Alan Pardew left his managerial post.

John Carver has a contract with Newcastle United which lasts until the end of the season but this could be extended depending on how well the English club performs, if the managerial abilities of Carver are not good enough it could spark a return of Rafael Benitez to the Premier League.

Penalties helped Napoli win against Juventus

Napoli managed to defeat Juventus on penalties and win the Super Cup. This was their first success in the competition since 1990 and Rafa Benitez failed this victory over Juventus as the best moment of 2014.

Napoli came back from death twice in the match. Carlos Tevez gave the lead after just five minutes before Gonzalo Higuain equalised in the 68th minute. Just when it seemed that Tevez had provided enough to seal victory after a goal in extra time, Higuain stepped up once again to secure an equaliser – for the second time in the match – in the 118th minute.

Napoli managed to defeat Juventus on penalties and win the Super Cup. This was their first success in the competition since 1990 and Rafa Benitez failed this victory over Juventus as the best moment of 2014.

Napoli came back from death twice in the match. Carlos Tevez gave the lead after just five minutes before Gonzalo Higuain equalised in the 68th minute. Just when it seemed that Tevez had provided enough to seal victory after a goal in extra time, Higuain stepped up once again to secure an equaliser – for the second time in the match – in the 118th minute.

Benitez lifted the trophy at the end of the match and this was the 10th success that he has had in cup competitions. The Spaniard has not been great at winning league titles, but he has been immensely successful when it comes to cup competitions like the UEFA cup, Europa League, and now the Super Cup. Rafael turned out be the hero during the penalty shootout after saving three from Juventus. Benitez praised the Brazilian after the match and said that it was vital that goalkeeper saved penalties during shootouts. Napoli may not be close to winning the title in Italy this season, but they can look forward to more success in cup competitions.

“It’s one of the best games of my life, as to win against a side like Juventus is remarkable. We dedicate this to all the Napoli fans who were with us today and watching from home.Dries Mertens had a bit of an ankle problem, so De Guzman had to start. Rafael was excellent, Higuain made the difference in attack, but everyone worked so hard. In these shoot-out situations the goalkeeping coach is crucial. I am so happy for Rafael, Higuain and all the fans who had faith in us,” said Benitez.

Mario Balotelli worst Start in Season

Mario Balotelli’s disastrous start of his career as a player of Liverpool has even linked the Italian attacker to a move away from the Premier League club even though it has been less than a year since Balotelli joined Liverpool; he is already being rumored to be on his way out of Liverpool.

Mario Balotelli’s disastrous start of his career as a player of Liverpool has even linked the Italian attacker to a move away from the Premier League club even though it has been less than a year since Balotelli joined Liverpool; he is already being rumored to be on his way out of Liverpool.

A number of rumors and reports were suggesting that Rafael Benitez was interested in bringing Mario Balotelli back to the Italian League, Serie A and after having analyzed his disastrous start of the season with Liverpool it could have been a possible transfer but the Sporting Director of Napoli, Riccardo Bigon stepped up and shut down those rumors as he said that Napoli have no plans to sign Balotelli.

“It’s a rumor told in Spain, England and Italy but I don’t think it is a possibility. Nothing of what has been posted is true. Mario Balotelli is a really great player but he has been just signed by Liverpool who believes a lot in him. Best wishes to him in his English adventure.” Napoli’s Sporting Director, Riccardo Bigon told the media.

Even if somehow Rafael Benitez was indeed interested in signing Mario Balotelli and adding him to his squad at Napoli, Liverpool will probably give more time to Balotelli so he can get fully adjusted to life in his new club as it has been less than one year and not all hope has been lost in the Italian forward.

Napoli is currently sitting in 3rd place in the Italian League, Serie A with 21 points having been collected out of 11 matches. The team of Rafael Benitez has scored 20 goals in these 11 opening games of the season and signing a player such as Mario Balotelli who has a temperamental attitude and discipline issues could cause a problem in the dressing room of Napoli and it’s just too much of a risk for Rafael Benitez and his team.

Benitez under heavy pressure

Napoli boss Rafa Benitez has been under intense pressure at the start of the season after his failure to get the club into the Champions League for the first time in a few years. The team failed to the last hurdle in the qualifying stage. Even though it is well acknowledged that Napoli had a tough draw, many expected them to reach the stages of the prestigious European tournament. It would have given them access to more than £ 30 million in additional revenue. As it is, they will be playing in the group stages of the Europa league.

Napoli boss Rafa Benitez has been under intense pressure at the start of the season after his failure to get the club into the Champions League for the first time in a few years. The team failed to the last hurdle in the qualifying stage. Even though it is well acknowledged that Napoli had a tough draw, many expected them to reach the stages of the prestigious European tournament. It would have given them access to more than £ 30 million in additional revenue. As it is, they will be playing in the group stages of the Europa league.
The team also has been suffering from poor form in the domestic campaign and this has led to talk of Benitez leaving the role if results do not improve. The manager, though, appears to have kept his job until after the international break after managing a 2-0 win over Slovan Bratislava. This victory in the Europa League has put the club top of the group I with two wins out of the two matches. They hold a substantial advantage over Sparta Praha and Young Boys in the second place. Benitez said after this important victory that he has seen enough from his team to suggest that they are on the way up.
“I substituted Hamsik towards the end because it was only right to give him that recognition of applause from the fans in Slovakia. It seemed positive to me. I said all season that we deserved more and just needed a bit of luck. Slovan have quality players and when they run at your defence they do cause problems. We must now continue along that path, as everyone knew what they had to do. What are our chances of qualifying? I am not playing this game this year,” said Benitez.

Bentiez Rumoured to depart Napoli

Rafa Benitez almost guided Napoli to an automatic Champions League spots last season after the club finished third in the table. However, the summer and the start of the season has been of huge pressure for the Spaniard, who has not only seen his team get knocked out of the qualifying stage of the Champions League but also suffer with poor form in the league. This has begun rumours that Benitez would be departing Napoli in the next few weeks. The Spaniard has been linked with a return to the Premier League with Newcastle being interested in his services.

Rafa Benitez almost guided Napoli to an automatic Champions League spots last season after the club finished third in the table. However, the summer and the start of the season has been of huge pressure for the Spaniard, who has not only seen his team get knocked out of the qualifying stage of the Champions League but also suffer with poor form in the league. This has begun rumours that Benitez would be departing Napoli in the next few weeks. The Spaniard has been linked with a return to the Premier League with Newcastle being interested in his services.
After a run of poor results, Alan Pardew looks set to receive the sack from Newcastle. After having been in charge of several Champions League teams over the last few years, it remains to be seen if Benitez would be interested in the possibility of taking over a struggling Newcastle team. For the moment, the former Chelsea and Liverpool boss says that he is set to hold contract talks with president Aurelio De Laurentiis in the near future. The 54-year-old has only one year left on his contract and Benitez has denied suggestions that he is set to sign a new contract.
Napoli are really struggling for form and the team has managed just two wins in the last five. “I have a good feeling with president Aurelio De Laurentiis and I want to underline this because I sometimes hear rumours about an angry Benitez. De Laurentiis is a man who is doing a lot for Napoli. Yesterday we spoke a lot about the future and the Super Cup. We are working on important planning. When De Laurentiis comes back from the USA we will talk about the contract and how the team is growing. But now, we must only think about the present,” said Benitez.

Newcastle Ready To Pay

Newcastle United is ready to pay the transfer fee of 15 million Pounds demanded by the Ligue 1 club Lyon for the French forward Alexandre Lacazette.
The Magpies will now have to hold personal talks with the player to agree terms with him as far as salary and the other perks are concerned.
Lacazette will have the company of a lot of his compatriots at St. James Park if he decides to go there.

Newcastle United is ready to pay the transfer fee of 15 million Pounds demanded by the Ligue 1 club Lyon for the French forward Alexandre Lacazette.
The Magpies will now have to hold personal talks with the player to agree terms with him as far as salary and the other perks are concerned.
Lacazette will have the company of a lot of his compatriots at St. James Park if he decides to go there.
One of the main attacking options that the Newcastle boss Alan Pardew had had last season was Loic Remy. He is not there at the club anymore now. He was brought in on loan for the previous season and he has returned to his parent club Queens Park Rangers having completed that spell.
Papiss Cisse, one of the other strikers at Newcastle, lost his form completely in the second half of the last season and nobody is sure how he is going to go during this season.
So, Pardew is quite rightly concerned about his team’s front line. There have been a couple of attacking young players brought in at St. James Park already this summer, but, the Magpies are exploring more options. They actually want to have somebody around whom the entire stargazing can be done and Lacazette appears to be one such player to them.
Lacazette has been a part of Lyon since the time he was a 12-year old kid. He has represented the French club at every level. He has more than 100 Ligue 1 appearances and more than 20 Ligue 1 goals to his name.
Apart from bringing new faces in, Newcastle has reportedly planned to offload some players too including Davide Santon and Tim Krul before the closure of the transfer window.

BEntiez Rules Out Reina Signing

Former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has ruled out the possibility of Pepe Reina rejoining Napoli, but this time on a permanent basis, in the summer transfer window. The Spaniard spent last season on loan at the Italian club after losing his first-team spot to Simon Mignolet. The Belgian goalkeeper still reigns supreme at Anfield, which is unlikely to allow Reina back into the first-team for the coming season. He is widely expected to be on his way out. Barcelona were rumoured as one of the possible destinations for the 32-year-old, but the Catalan club signed other transfer targets.

Former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has ruled out the possibility of Pepe Reina rejoining Napoli, but this time on a permanent basis, in the summer transfer window. The Spaniard spent last season on loan at the Italian club after losing his first-team spot to Simon Mignolet. The Belgian goalkeeper still reigns supreme at Anfield, which is unlikely to allow Reina back into the first-team for the coming season. He is widely expected to be on his way out. Barcelona were rumoured as one of the possible destinations for the 32-year-old, but the Catalan club signed other transfer targets.

Napoli is widely seen as the last remaining solace for the player, who finally made his World Cup debut at the 2014 tournament for the Spanish national team. Reina appears to have rediscovered his good form in the 12 months at Napoli. Despite this, Benitez is that it is looking highly unlikely that the Italian outfit will be making an offer for Reina. The wages of the goalkeeper is proving to be a stumbling block as is the transfer fee demanded by Liverpool. Reina could cost more than £ 7 million given that he is still at the prime for a goalkeeper.

Benitez could only manage a third-place finish with Napoli in his first season back in Italian football. “We don’t seek a goalkeeper. Rafael, with whom I keep in touch often to monitor his progress first hand, Andujar and Colombo are a sufficient guarantee for our goal,” said Benitez, who regularly utilised Reina as the first choice goalkeeper last season. However, Napoli were inconsistent throughout the campaign and they could not sustain the title challenge as well as Roma or Juventus. The only consolation from last campaign was finishing in the top three and ensuring Champions League football for the upcoming season.

Cabral Expected To Retake Top Spot

Napoli goalkeeper Rafael Cabral is once again expected to become the number one goalkeeper at the club after the departure of Pepe Reina. The Liverpool goalkeeper has returned to his parent club after a season long loan deal with the Italian outfit came to an end. Throughout the season, Reina was the first choice when it came to league matches while the 24-year-old, Cabral, was used as the cup goalkeeper. However, Cabral’s season suffered a turn for the worst after he was ruled out for four months with a broken leg.

Napoli goalkeeper Rafael Cabral is once again expected to become the number one goalkeeper at the club after the departure of Pepe Reina. The Liverpool goalkeeper has returned to his parent club after a season long loan deal with the Italian outfit came to an end. Throughout the season, Reina was the first choice when it came to league matches while the 24-year-old, Cabral, was used as the cup goalkeeper. However, Cabral’s season suffered a turn for the worst after he was ruled out for four months with a broken leg.

He suffered his injury in the Europa league encounter against Swansea a few months ago. Up until then, he was one of the best goalkeepers at the club after managing to keep four clean sheets in just 10 matches. He has now returned to first team training and the pre-season will be providing a much better look into how he has progressed from the injury. Cabral, though, is confident that he can reclaim the high standards set a few months ago. Players who have suffered major injuries like a leg break take a long time to recover, but this could be different in the case of goalkeeper.

Reina has still been linked with a permanent move to Napoli with the Italian club involved in negotiations.

“I’ll come back stronger than before. I feel good – very good in fact. I’ve started to train again with a ball. I’m getting there slowly, but I’m getting there. I’ll be back on July 10 when we start preseason training. God is my strength and my faith has helped me so much. But I’ve done nothing but sweat at the training ground since I was allowed to return. I speak with [President Aurelio] De Laurentiis a lot and obviously I’m always having words with [Head Coach Rafael] Benítez, the goalkeeping coaches and the doctors,” said Cabral.

Carragher Believes Tottenham Should Appoint Benitez

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has stated that Tottenham should consider appointing former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez, who he thinks will be a great appointment for the club given that he has incredible experience of the Premier league. Benitez is currently managing Italian outfit Napoli, but the first season at his new club does not seem to have gone according to plan. As a result, there have been suggestions that he may leave the club in the summer. He has also expressed interest in the Tottenham job in the past.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has stated that Tottenham should consider appointing former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez, who he thinks will be a great appointment for the club given that he has incredible experience of the Premier league. Benitez is currently managing Italian outfit Napoli, but the first season at his new club does not seem to have gone according to plan. As a result, there have been suggestions that he may leave the club in the summer. He has also expressed interest in the Tottenham job in the past.

Even though Tottenham currently have Tim Sherwood in charge of the team, it is widely believed that he will leave the club at the end of the season. He was appointed as the replacement for Andre Villas-Boas, but poor form since his appointment could change the managerial outlook of the club. Spurs have been heavily linked with a move for Ajax manager Frank de Boer in recent weeks. However, Carragher says that Rafa Benitez, with whom he worked under at Liverpool, would be an ideal fit for Spurs.

During his time at Chelsea, Benitez showed that he can play attacking football while also leading the club to trophies. He managed to win the Europa league last season.

“If they want to go for a foreign manager again, why not go for someone who knows our league and a history of winning trophies? Personally, I think they should look at Rafa Benítez. He would love to work in England again but perhaps his pragmatic style of play wouldn’t be accepted. Yet he has a winning mentality, has had success at two big Premier League clubs already and has a rich European pedigree,” said the former Liverpool defender.

Spurs also tried to bring in Louis van Gaal, who appears to be heading for Manchester United.

CITY AND UNITED CHASE NAPOLI STAR

Manchester city and Manchester United are chasing the signature of Napoli Star Cavani. Cavani was scouted several times by United chief talent spotter Martin Ferguson during the season.

City coach Attilio Lombardo confirmed their interest in Cavani, who has also been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham.

“I hope there can be some negotiations between Napoli and Manchester City, especially as I’d see one of their three forwards would really suit City,” Lombardo told reporters.