Newcastle United's Rafa Benitez 'Gains Strength' as Managerial Target for La Liga Side

Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has emerged as one of the main contenders for the manager's job at La Liga outfit Real Sociedad.

Appointed as boss of the Magpies in March 2016, the Spaniard managed to win the Championship in his first full season as manager, and bring Newcastle back into the Premier League. 

According to reports from Marca (via SportWitness) though, Benitez is much sought-after back in his homeland and continues to 'gain strength' as a candidate for manager at the Basque club.

Image by Alex Beaney

Real Sociedad sit in 15th place in the Spanish top flight going into the weekend, twelve points above the relegation zone. But, with a recent slump in form that has seen them win only twice in six outings, a number of candidates alongside Benitez are being linked to the position.

Given his previous La Liga experience at Valencia and Real Madrid, and extensive list of managerial honours including the Champions League and Club World Cup trophies, it is no surprise that Benitez is on Sociedad's wish list.

However, as of yet, there hasn't been any indication from the man himself that he is ready to leave his current position, with it looking like his stay in Tyneside is set to continue, despite some frustrations with ownership and transfer spending during his tenure. 

This season, Newcastle find themselves in 12th position in the league table, having recently earned three vital points in a 1-0 home victory over Huddersfield Town. 

And, amongst the Geordies, Benitez is believed to be the right man to lift the club up the league table in the future, making any speculation around his departure, a quite worrying concern.