He’s all mine: Rafa tells rivals - hands off
DEFENDER CAN FULFILL POTENTIAL ON TYNESIDE
RAFA Benitez believes it is only natural that the Premier League’s top six will look at making a move for Jamaal Lascelles this summer – but the Newcastle United manager is confident his captain will remain on Tyneside for “a long time”.
The 24-year-old has been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton and West Ham United in recent months, while Liverpool are the latest club to register an interest in the defender.
In Benitez’s opinion, it is no surprise that Lascelles is attracting the attention of the top-flight’s elite – given that he is a young, English centre-back, and they are few and far between in the modern game.
Also, Premier League clubs are obliged to ensure a certain percentage of their squad are homegrown, so talented English players will always be sought by the topsix sides, regardless of position.
However, Benitez and Lascelles enjoy an excellent relationship, and the United manager believes the defender acknowledges that they best way for him to continue his development is by remaining at Newcastle, where he will play regularly and help the club to progress.
“I think he will stay here, and hopefully for the long term,” Benitez said of Lascelles’ future.
“He has huge potential and big clubs will look at him because he is a young, English centre-back.
“It is not easy to find good centre-backs who can play well in the Premier League, especially not English ones, and it’s even harder to find young ones. You only need to look around the Premier League to see that.
“He has all the attributes to be a target for all top teams because you can see from his performances over the last two years he keeps getting better and better.
“But I think that for his future, and for his development, that he stays in a place where he can play and he can improve and continue to keep getting better with us.
“I think he understands that too. He seems happy and he is learning all the time, so I hope he stays for a long time.”
Lascelles led United to a 10thplaced finish in 2017/18, just a season after helping the club to promotion at the first time of asking, and he has improved immeasurably under Rafa Benitez’s tutelage.
The centre-back’s relationship with Benitez has been crucial to the Magpies’ success and, given the positive soundings that have emerged from St James’ Park that the Newcastle manager is set to remain in place for the 2018/19 campaign, Lascelles intends to continue developing under the Spaniard.
Clearly Lascelles relishes the responsibility Benitez has bestowed upon him, and the defender still has unfinished business on Tyneside. Like Benitez, Lascelles sees the untapped potential at what he describes as a “massive” club. He wants to continue pushing Newcastle further up the table, before hopefully challenging for trophies in the future. “This is the happiest I’ve been,” Lascelles said about the speculation regarding his future. “I’m playing week in, week out. And I’m the captain here, the fans love me, and I’ve got a good relationship with them because I love them. And we’re doing well, too. “I’m very happy here. You hear things, you hear rumours and stuff, but I’m a young player and I need to be playing football at a good club - and that’s what this is. “This is the right club for me at the right time. We have a huge fanbase, an amazing manager, and this club is massive. It has so much history. “As captain, I want to see how far we can go – and potentially take it back to where it belongs.”
He (Lascelles) has huge potential and big clubs will look at him because he is a young, English centre-backk Rafa Benitez