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Report: Hammers ready to make formal Rafa approach

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West Ham are tonight as reported as being ready to make a formal approach for Rafael Benítez.

According to The Guardian we are now giving serious consideration to triggering the £6m release clause in the Spaniard’s Newcastle contract.

The report follows David Sullivan’s official website statement claiming the club would have a PL and European experienced manager within a week and that the ‘process’ was going well.

The Hammers – as reported here several days ago – would need to dig up £26 million should Benitez and Newcastle agree to the move which would cover the release clause plus £10 million a year wages over a two year deal.

West Ham have coveted Benitez for the last three years and with the manager becoming increasingly unhappy with his Newcastle situation they are ready to cash in if they get half a chance.

They will need to convince him, however,  that he will receive funds to strengthen an unbalanced squad.

Benítez also needs to ponder whether he is ready to swap his near zero relationship with Mike Ashley for the regularly documented situation at the London Stadium.

The Guardian claims “Ashley is desperate for Benítez to remain and extend his contract, not least because having the former Champions League-winning manager in place could help him in his ambition to sell Newcastle for as much as £400m.”

Benítez and Ashley have not met for talks, with negotiations being conducted by phone and email between Benítez’s representatives and Lee Charnley, Newcastle’s managing director.

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Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"

Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

0 comments

  • crewehammer says:

    I’m not known for being the sharpest knife in the drawer, so I was hoping one of you lads could decipher this for me “Carlo Ancelotti: The only manager to have won the Uefa Champions League three times and reached four finals (three finals and two victories )”. as it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

  • Hammer64 says:

    Pellegrini still odds on with bookies. Benitez has shortened- just seen 6-4 against. I am depressed. Somebody tell me some good stuff about Mr P. This looks like another Sullivan blunder to me. I suppose everybody may be wrong & they are just nailing down Ancellotti. Nah…..

  • Hammer64 says:

    Yes I agree Clive. Again the Benitez story does not fit. ‘Ready to make a formal approach’. Surely even Sullivan would not have been stupid enough to make that statement this week unless they had already got well beyond first base? So if he was that confident about getting the new man I can’t see how he could have been thinking about Rafa.

    I seem to remember Pellegrini was jerked around by the President at Real. I think it was at the time when they were just drafting in big money signings without any plan & without consulting the manager. This would make Sullivan’s eyes light up. Rafa has had pretty poor treatment at Newcastle without jumping ship but he has not taken it lying down.

    There was a lot of moaning about Moyes only having had success at Everton, but this guy’s record does not exactly excite me. It looks stellar compared to Moyes but I still have my doubts. My big worry is that I don’t think he will have the ***** to demand changes in the club. I bet he hardly knows who we are & once he realises what he is up against he will be off. If the owners give him enough cash we might see a temporary improvement but Rafa is the man if this club is going to have a long term future.

  • Clive says:

    It will be Pellegrini I reckon. Because he looks like a thunderbirds puppet and Sullivan will be able to pull the strings. Benitez wants full control, plus 100 million war chest transfer kitty, plus 6 million a year wages, so no chance of Sullivan agreeing to that. He will talk the talk but won’t walk the walk.

  • crewehammer says:

    My nan read the leaves again tonight, Pellegrini came up!

  • Roman says:

    Do you honestly think Ashley will let Rafa leave? West Ham are a rabble at present so who in their right mind would want to endure the GSB culture?

  • Mr Buddy Lurve says:

    PLEASE get him, then leverage future income to kit him out with the squad he needs. Tell him to bring Lascelles and Shelvey with him.

  • matty53 says:

    are you making his wages up Hugh or was that the first figure that came into your head

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