Rafa Benitez has revealed his desire to return to the Premier League and says he wants to move back into management “as soon as possible”.
Benitez has been unemployed since ending his 18-month stint with Chinese club Dalian Pro in January and is back at his family home near Liverpool.
He enjoyed a six-year spell with Liverpool, famously winning the Champions League in 2005 as well as the FA Cup a year later, and won the Europa League as Chelsea’s interim manager in 2013.
Benitez is also revered in Newcastle after returning the club to the Premier League in 2017 before recording finishes of 10th and 13th on a limited budget.
The 60-year-old’s availability means he has been linked with Celtic following Neil Lennon’s departure last month. But, after achieving so much success in England, it is understandable why the 60-year-old is keen to return.
“The priority is England,” Benitez told The Sunday Times. “Why? Because obviously I like the Premier League and my family is here.
“I have a lot [of offers] from the Emirates, United States, Brazil, China, but I want to stay in Europe. And I want to stay in England.
“If it’s the right one, we can do it tomorrow but the project, the competitive team, is not there at the moment so we have to wait.
“But I don’t want to stay without working. I want to be on the pitch as soon as possible.”
Benitez’s successor at Newcastle, Steve Bruce, is under mounting pressure in the wake of Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton, which leaves them just two points above the Premier League relegation zone.
Benitez left Newcastle at the end of the 2018/19 season amid a strained relationship with owner Mike Ashley, but he said: “[Managing Newcastle] was an amazing time for me and I suffered with the fans because they deserved more.
“Some pundits say, ‘oh, they ask for too much.’ No, they are a city behind the team, so they deserve something.
“I wish them all the best and want them to stay up.”
