Newcastle Boss Rafa Benitez Hints at Extended Stay As He Discusses Talent Scouting

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has hinted he will stay on as manager of the Magpies by talking about his intentions to launch a worldwide scouting mission for top talent.

Speculation has surrounded the Spaniard for most of the season about whether or not he will remain at the helm come the end of the season, given the difficulties he has had trying to get new players in.

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The former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Chelsea boss has made no secret of his displeasure at not being supported financially, and that has worried fans previously.

But Magpies supporters will take heart from Benitez's latest comments that he has 500 names on an extensive list of potential new recruits.

Speaking to the Chronicle, he said: "We have improved and changed the scouting department a little bit in terms of moving people around.

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"We have a lot of systems now with stats. We see games on TV and also have people travelling around Europe and travelling around the world, it depends on the player.

"We have enough scouts in Europe and we now have two scouts in Spain. There are a lot of players.

"The main thing now is the prices of the players and you need to know the markets because if you go to the English market it’s very expensive."

Newcastle are looking good for Premier League survival with eight games to go, sitting 13th in the table and four points clear of the drop, and were fantastic against relegation rivals Southampton 10 days ago.