Rafa Benitez has ‘refused to speak on camera’ about a potential new contract and the proposed takeover when quizzed by Sky Sports reporters this morning.
The Spaniard is currently in Madrid and has been speaking to Sky ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Spurs, however he ‘didn’t want to answer’ any questions about Newcastle United.
A reminder that Rafa’s contract talks with Mike Ashley were confirmed to have taken place in London TWO WEEKS ago today.
A fortnight later and it feels like any potential new deal has been put on hold, with takeover talk completely taking over – as if the fact his current deal expires in a few weeks time has been totally forgotten.
Until the club speak out and the situation becomes clearer, his silence feels deafening to me.
Yes he normally keeps his cards close to his chest, but I genuinely get the feeling he hasn’t a clue what’s going on anymore – and that’s backed up by Martin Hardy’s claims last night that he knew nothing about a Sheikh Khaled takeover when the ‘news’ broke on Sunday night.
Maybe Rafa felt it would be unprofessional to speak about his personal circumstances in an appearance that generally featured him previewing Saturday’s Champions League final and reflecting on that special night in Istanbul, but you have to wonder just how much Mike Ashley is keeping him in the loop.
After all, those in the Middle-East claim a takeover is imminent, yet we haven’t heard a thing from the club. I wonder if Rafa’s the same..