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Dykes makes huge claim over Celtic and Benitez

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Paul John Dykes has claimed that Celtic held talks with Rafa Benitez before Neil Lennon was appointed permanent manager in May 2019.

What went on inside the club between Brendan Rodgers’ departure for Leicester and Lennon’s appointment in the Hampden showers remains something of a mystery with Peter Lawwell claiming that no-one else was considered.

That would be an incredible state of affairs with the CEO surely obliged to explore alternatives to at least keep himself upto date with the managerial market.

In the summer of 2019 Benitez’s contract expired at Newcastle, after three years of a tetchy relationship with Mike Ashley it had been well sign posted that he was leaving despite enjoying overwhelming backing from Newcastle fans.

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Celtic did not only speak to Neil Lennon about that job and one of the managers that they did speak to, and it was progressing, but obviously it didn’t come to fruition was Benitez. That did happen.

He’s now in the Chinese Super League making millions and millions. I don’t know what his salary is, absolutely obscene but I think that when you are looking at someone like Benitez and the other manager that has gone over there, Slaven Bilic. Bilic is there until an English team wants him back, its just a stepping stone, there’s no way that you are going there because you have got some kind of ambition that you are going to achieve while you are in the Chinese Super League. No disrespect, that’s not going to happen.

With the Celtic job likely to become available again it would be remiss of Celtic not to make contact with representatives of Benitez to see if he would be interested in a return from China.

With Valencia, Liverpool, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid on his CV Benitez doesn’t really have to apply for jobs or put forward his case.

Whether Celtic could put together a proposal that would interest the 60-year-old remains to be seen but after the last recruitment ‘process’ supporters will be expecting a more thorough exercise next time there is a vacancy for the manager’s job.

CLICK HERE for Celtic statement on managerial review.

NB Some episodes of A Celtic State of Mind are being watched 20,000 times or more on You Tube.

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