Newcastle Boss Benítez Insists He Wants to Build a 'Project' at St James' Park Despite Exit Rumours

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benítez has claimed that he's happy to stay at St James' Park for the next decade, as long as the club spend money in new talent, as well as investing in their Academy system.

Speaking ahead of his side's Premier League clash against Arsenal, via the Chronicle, the former Champions League winner was quizzed on his future, and claimed he'd be happy to commit his future to the club if his conditions were met. 

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He insisted: "Yes. (I would stay on for a decade). What I say is you need a project. Coming from Spain - and I have been in different countries - a project is nice, it’s a good word for just getting some time. But at the same time, you have to do something. I like to work with young players, I like to improve young players, but I like to win.

"You have to have a mix of young players and players with experience - that means you have to spend some money because if not, you cannot compete now and win something. But you have to invest in your Academy and your training facilities, everything to improve the club and improve the project.

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“I would like to stay a lot of years at any club, but if they want to be competitive and they want to progress, yes. But it’s very easy to say that and after, you have to do it."

The 57-year-old has certainly impressed during his spell at St James' Park - hauling the Magpies back from the Championship at the first time of asking and seeing them to mid-table safety despite spending just £44m in last summer's transfer window. Newcastle fans will be desperate for the Spaniard to stay, as they look to build a stable future in the Premier League.

In other news, Benitez has claimed that his side's loanee Kenedy has effectively priced the Magpies out of signing him on a permanent basis from Chelsea after excelling at St James' Park this season. The North East club had hoped to spend around £10m to make the deal permanent in the summer, but the Brazilian's top performances are thought to have drawn the interest of top sides such as Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.