Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez wants to carry on as a manager for another 11 years
"I want to compete for trophies and the best trophy is the Champions League, so I would like to have the possibility in the next 11 years to win it", says Newcastle manager
Friday 19 April 2019 23:10, UK
Rafael Benitez plans to work until he is 70 and is desperate for another tilt at the Champions League.
Benitez's Newcastle future is still unclear, with the 59-year-old's three-year deal set to expire on June 30 and a contract extension yet to be finalised.
Asked how long he planned to continue in management, Benitez said: "Yesterday I was talking with a friend - 11 years. Eleven years as a manager, that's fine. You can see Roy Hodgson is still there.
"I like to manage teams, I like to coach players, so I'm happy with that. Always I say we are forward-thinking. My staff, they are young people and we are always thinking about how to improve things.
"Yesterday, we had a meeting and we were talking about cameras for the training ground, to record from different points and then have the possibility to watch from different angles, things like that, so we are always trying to use the technology, we are trying to be up-to-date, all these things."
After Newcastle reported a profit of £18.6m after tax, managing director Lee Charnley insisted on Thursday that the club would continue to live within its means.
Benitez presented Charnley with his blueprint for the Magpies' future path more than three weeks ago, with the plan including improvements to the club's training base and greater autonomy over recruitment.
Talks are continuing but there has been little movement since and, with time running down, fans who have taken the former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss to their hearts are starting to fear the worst.
Newcastle's net spend for their first season back in the top flight was just £15.7m and Benitez appears reluctant to commit his future to a club which finds itself battling for Premier League survival.
Benitez famously won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, and asked how he would feel if he was told he would never be involved in the competition again, he replied: "Good question.
"I like to - and I want to - compete for trophies and the best trophy is the Champions League, so I would like to have the possibility in the next 11 years to win the Champions League."
