Benitez: Which Premier League club will the Spanish coach go to next?

Emmet Gates

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 3 min read

Following his departure from Chinese club Dalian Pro, former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is reportedly seeking another job in the Premier League.

According to Sky Sports, the Spaniard has told friends that he wants to make a return to coaching in England following his resignation as coach of his former Chinese side.

Benitez’s family still resides in the north-west of the country, and it’s because of this reason that he wants to remain in the country.

So where will Benitez manage next? Football Transfers investigates.

Wolves

Having finished in a highly-respectable seventh position last season in the Premier League, Wolves were expected to kick on under boss Nuno Espirito Santos, and perhaps crack into the top four.

However this hasn’t happened, and they’ve regressed this season. The club are currently sitting 14th in the table.

They haven’t won a league game in over a month, and just about scraped into the next round of the FA Cup following a 1-0 win against non-league Chorley.

Should their form not turn around in the second half of the season, Santos could be given his P45 by the club come June.

Leeds

Will Marcelo Bielsa stay another season at Leeds?

His contract expires at the end of the season, and so far talks concerning a renewal haven’t taken place.

However, club owner Andrea Radrizzani is expected to enter talks with Bielsa in due course.

Bielsa famously opts for one-season contracts, as opposed to the more traditional multi-year approach demanded by other coaches.

Bielsa is now in his third season with the Yorkshire club, his longest stint in any one place since his spell as manager of the Chilean national team, which lasted four years.

Crystal Palace

Palace are firmly in mid-table in the Premier League under Roy Hodgson.

Former England manager Hodgson has been at the London club since 2017, and has turned Palace into a reliable team in the top flight.

However, with Hodgson closing in on his 74th birthday, the club may want to move in a different direction.

Palace have only won once in their last five league games, and have struggled to score goals.

Tottenham Hotspur

Benitez could be an option for Tottenham should Jose Mourinho fail to steer the club back into the Champions League places.

Spurs have slipped in recent weeks, from leading the Premier League table in November, to sitting fifth at present.

It wouldn’t be the first time that Benitez has taken over from Mourinho at a club. The Spaniard was chosen by Inter to replace the Portuguese coach in the aftermath of the club’s treble-winning season in 2009/10.

However it proved to be disaster for Benitez, who was sacked by January 2011, despite winning two trophies.

The chances of history repeating itself are slim, considering the compensation Tottenham would have to pay out should they decide to sack Mourinho.

Southampton

The Saints could be an option for Benitez if Ralph Hasenhuttl is poached by a bigger side this summer.

The German coach has done a stellar job at St.Mary’s, and he could be rewarded with a position at a club higher up the totem pole.

Furthermore, the coach has been at Southampton for nearly three years, and may decide to leave in order to take on a fresh challenge.

Leicester City

The Foxes, much like Southampton, could also be looking for a new manager due to the success of their old one.

Brendan Rodgers has overachieved at the club, and with Leicester currently sitting third and challenging for the title, the Northern Irish coach could be in line for a return to managing one of the bigger sides in the Premier League.

Should Rogers’ side slip out of the top four, which happened last season, then the club may also release the former Celtic boss in order to bring in a new boss.