Anfield Stunner: Legendary boss dro

Anfield Stunner: Legendary boss drops massive hint that he's coming 'to Liverpool'
5/28/2015 10:40:00 p.m.Join the Discussion
It's official: Rafa Benitez is leaving Napoli this summer, and with Liverpool possibly on the lookout for another manager, what are the chances of the Liverpool's Champions League-winning boss returning to Anfield?

Well, current media hype suggests that Benitez is set to take over at Real Madrid, but given his comments this week, I don't see how that's a viable option.

Announcing his Napoli departure this week, Benitez made it clear that he needed to be closer to his family:

"The first thing is the distance from my family. A few weeks ago I spoke to my wife to try to convince her, but then I told [Napoli president] Aurelio [De Laurentiis] that it would not have been an easy task"

De Laurentiis echoed Benitez's comments:

"Rafa told me immediately after he agreed to stay on last summer that this would be his last campaign because his family wanted him nearby"

Benitez's family live in Liverpool, not Spain, and he reiterated that last season:

“My family is distant. My wife and my two daughters live in Liverpool. It’s the first time that they are not with me and it’s not easy".

Amid the Madrid speculation, the question no one seems to be asking is this: if Benitez is leaving Napoli because he wants to be close to his family, why would he then take over at Real Madrid?

Last time I checked, Spain is just as far away from Liverpool as Italy (!)

The only way that makes sense is if the Spaniard uproots his entire family from the UK (and rips his daughters away from their school/friends), and that seems unlikely.

Plus, Benitez has made it clear in the past that he wants the Liverpool job. Last season, for example, he told reporters:

"I know I will return to Liverpool as coach one day, almost certainly. What I don’t know is when but my wife and children still live there, so I will be back".

Then, in April this year, FIFA agent Jose Alberti claimed:

"He [Benitez] he will return to England in three months [July 2015]. His mind is already there. He will return to Liverpool and he wants to get back to winning. He is ideal for the Premier League."

Well, Benitez is a free agent now, so a return to Liverpool to be with his family is most definitely on the cards. Reds fans certainly want him back. In November, I conducted a poll on the site asking whether he is a good choice to replace Rodgers:



* 16200 visitors (approx) participated in the poll.

* 81% of fans voted YES for a Benitez return.

I strongly advocated Benitez's departure in 2009, and I maintain it was the right decision to move him on at that time.

However, five years have passed, which is plenty of time for Benitez to reflect on his time at Anfield, and given the Spaniard's nature, I'm sure he has exhaustively analysed where he went wrong, and how he can improve things the second time around.

Football opinions should not be inflexible to the point of extreme intransigence; people change, learn, and, most importantly, grow, and with his experiences over the last five years, Benitez will probably make a better Liverpool manager now.

So, based on his comments, Benitez is almost certainly returning to Liverpool to be near his family, but will that also entail a return to Anfield?