RAFA BENITEZ is a name that’s faded well into the background over the past month or so when it comes to who is going to be the next Celtic manager.
We don’t know who it’s going to be but we know who it won’t be after the Spaniard spoke to The Times.
When asked if or when he would be back in management, Benitez made it clear where he wants to be and that’s not in Scotland.
“A competitive team that allows you to challenge for trophies, or a project that allows you to improve and grow and do better.
“The priority is England. Why? Because obviously I like the Premier League and my family is here.
“I have a lot [of offers] from the Emirates, United States, Brazil, China, but I want to stay in Europe. And I want to stay in England.
“If it’s the right one, we can do it tomorrow but the project, the competitive team, is not there at the moment so we have to wait. But I don’t want to stay without working.
“I want to be on the pitch as soon as possible.”
Benitez’s name was mentioned more the last time Celtic were looking for a permanent manager before they gave it to Neil Lennon in the showers.
However, this time around, Celtic fans seem to have their heart set on a young, hungry manager who can create a culture at the club and bring the club up a couple of levels.
Guys like Benitez and even Roy Keane would be box office for the media and could do a job in the short term, but we will just be back to square one after they left.
Celtic must look to create a new era for the club which puts youth and winning together. Not an easy thing to do and we will need to be patient but as a Celtic fan, I’ve seen this support back managers who have lost because they can see where the team is headed.
