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Rafa hails ‘great achievement’ of beating points target.. & plans talks on his future
Newcastle United 2 Arsenal 1 RAFA BENITEZ celebrated one of his “great achievements”, and said he now wants to thrash out his plan for Newcastle’s future.
The Toon boss has guided the Geordies to 10th, with 41 points,
passing his pre-season minimum target.
Magpies boss Benitez hailed it a “great achievement” and celebrated on the pitch with his players at the end.
Legend Paul Gascoigne was in the jubilant St James’ Park crowd which saw Newcastle come from behind to beat Arsenal with goals from Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie.
Asked about his future, Benitez said: “If everything is right, it is a good opportunity, but everything has to be right.
“We will see. Obviously, it is too early because we have just finished (the game), but we have plenty of time to talk about ideas for the future.”
He will now have talks with owner Mike Ashley regarding transfer funds and wants quick action on his targets.
The Spaniard has a £5million-a-year contract until the end of next season, but Newcastle want to extend it. Benitez deflected praise for himself and directed it towards his players, staff and support for all “pulling together.”
He said: “Where does it rank for me? You want me to say that it’s like the Champions League in 2005! It’s a great achievement.
“The difference is that, when you win titles, especially if it’s a cup, there are fewer games or it’s just a final.
“When you achieve something like this, it’s during the whole season and you can see the team progressing and improving.
“So, I’m really pleased to see players playing every week much better, learning about what to do in difficult situations.
“It’s a great achievement for everyone, not just for me, for everyone.
“We were so good in a lot of things that, in the end, I think we deserve to be where we are.
“We were not expecting to be in the top 10, but we were awake and thinking we could do it.
“We started learning without too much experience in the Premier League. Little by little, we were growing and, especially in this second part of the season, the team has grown in confidence.”