PLENTY of questions are swirling around Newcastle United as they prepare for life in the Championship, but with the Magpies due to end the season with a dead rubber against Tottenham on Sunday, one is much more pressing than all the rest.

What will happen to manager Rafael Benitez? Will the Spaniard still be in charge when Newcastle kick off life in the Championship in August, or will the club spend the summer looking for their fourth boss in the space of a little over 12 months?

All the other key decisions – who will be sold, who will be offered a new deal, what will the pre-season programme look like – will effectively be shelved until Benitez’s future becomes clear. On both sides of the equation, some difficult decisions are pending.


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WHAT IS BENITEZ’S CONTRACTUAL SITUATION?

Benitez signed a three-year deal when he agreed to replace Steve McClaren in October, so in one sense, nothing has changed as a result of Newcastle’s relegation.

Benitez’s contract did not feature an automatic wage reduction in the event of demotion to the Championship, so if he opts to remain, he will continue to receive his full pay packet, which is understood to be worth around £5m-a-year.

However, the deal Benitez signed last October does include a relegation break clause, enabling either party to sever the agreement from Sunday. If Benitez wants to walk away, he is free to do so. If Newcastle want to release him, they can.


WILL BENITEZ WANT TO STAY WITH A CLUB IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?

This is the key question, but the initial signs are positive. While Benitez’s insistence on the presence of a release clause confirms he was initially sceptical about managing in the second tier, a number of well-positioned sources insist the Spaniard has been making consistently positive noises in the last few days.

He met managing director Lee Charnley for face-to-face talks at the training ground yesterday, and while those discussions did not result in an agreement, the fact Benitez was willing to even discuss what remaining in his position might mean has to be interpreted as a positive development.

Having started the season in charge of Real Madrid, it is easy to see why Benitez might feel that trips to Rotherham, Burton and Bristol City are beneath him. But walking away from Tyneside would leave him out of work, and that is not a position he wants to be in.


WHO MIGHT TRY TO LURE HIM AWAY?

Despite his previous spell as Liverpool manager, Benitez was heavily linked with a possible move to Everton in the wake of Roberto Martinez’s dismissal. However, Everton are understood to be pursuing Southampton boss Ronald Koeman, and if that falls through, former Ajax boss Frank de Boer is regarded as a better fit for Goodison Park than Benitez.

With Vicente del Bosque expected to leave his position in charge in Spain after this summer’s European Championships, Benitez could be offered a move into international management. Whether that would appeal to him, though, remains to be seen.


The Northern Echo: Unveiling: Newcastle United's new manager Rafael Benitez during his press conference at St James' Park. Picture: Scott Heppell/PA Wire


WOULD NEWCASTLE WANT TO KEEP HIM?

Benitez’s plans are only part of the equation – even if the Spaniard wants to remain, the Newcastle hierarchy could decide it is not in their best interests to keep him.

That is an unlikely scenario, and Charnley is understood to have indicated a desire to hold on to the 56-year-old in his discussions this week. However, with Newcastle’s television income due to drop to around £35m next season, it is a big commitment to spend around £5m on a manager.

There is also a question mark over Benitez’s suitability for a season in the Championship. He has no experience of managing in the Football League, has never had to rebuild an English side that has suffered relegation and has only been promoted once in his career, with Spanish side Extremadura in 1998. Might Newcastle be better off with a manager boasting a proven track record in the Championship?


WHO ELSE COULD NEWCASTLE TURN TO?

If Benitez was to leave his post, Newcastle could go one of two ways. They could opt for experience and look to appoint someone who has extensive experience of the second tier or take a chance on a younger, more dynamic boss in the hope they inspired an immediate recovery.

Nigel Pearson, who led Leicester to promotion to the Premier League, would be an obvious candidate if the Magpies went down the experience route, along with David Moyes, who did well in the lower leagues with Preston.

Rangers boss Mark Warburton, who was a huge success with Brentford, could also be considered, while the likes of Patrick Vieira or Christophe Galtier would represent much more of a shot in the dark.


COULD THIS WEEKEND’S EVENTS INFLUENCE BENITEZ’S DECISION?

Possibly. The Spaniard has been hugely impressed with the support he has received in the last two months, and his willingness to even consider remaining in his position reflects a belief that the future could still be bright despite this week’s events.

If Newcastle’s supporters are constantly chanting his name on Sunday, that could tug at his heart strings and make it even harder for him to walk away.

That said, however, what happens in next week’s planned discussions with Charnley will be much more significant. Benitez will want cast-iron assurances about the financial implications of the drop, most notably in relation to how many senior players he will be expected to move on, before he commits to remaining in his position.