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Whelan: Benitez would love to join West Ham

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Noel Whelan has claimed that Rafael Benitez would love to manage West Ham United if offered the chance.

The BBC pundit believes that the Champions League winning manager would jump at the chance to move to the London Stadium to work with the Hammers’ squad.

Whelan also shared that David Sullivan and David Gold’s ability to spend big money in the transfer window would also attract the Spaniard to East London should Manuel Pellegrini part ways with West Ham.

“I think he’d be absolutely overjoyed with West Ham,” he told Football Insider.

“They’ve got owners there with money, they’ve already gone out and spent a lot of money, they’ve got fantastic players there.”

The Mirror reported that the Dalian Yifang manager has been targeted by the Irons, who are monitoring his situation as pressure mounts on Pellegrini.

OPINION

Whelan is spot on, surely Benitez would jump at the chance to return to the Premier League after his spell in China. The Spaniard was stuck in negotiations with Newcastle for months before deciding that it wasn’t the place for him, but what it did prove was that he was willing to remain in the top-flight. Having Gold and Sullivan above him rather than Mike Ashley would also be a big temptation, with the Hammers’ co-owners having splashed the cash in the past two seasons particularly, breaking their transfer record three separate times for Issa Diop, Felipe Anderson, and Sebastien Haller. It would be no surprise to see Pellegrini leave the club based on the current form of his side. No wins since September is not good enough, and his lack of ideas in each passing game is only seeing his position weaken in charge of the club. The Chilean needs results and quick, and if not, the Irons would be making the right move if they were to target Benitez.

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