Arsenal and Rafa Benitez: Is Ray Parlour mad?

Ray Parlour has rather optimistically and somewhat foolishly stated that Rafa Benitez is a ‘great fit’ to replace Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Is he mad?

Everyone has their own opinion on who Arsenal should replace Arsene Wenger with. There is a raft of potential names, all with their vices and virtues. And so, there is also a great variety of opinion on who people believe the Gunners should pursue.

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I, for instance, am of the thinking that the club has the perfect chance to take a risk, going with a young, culture-changing individual, rather than the more entrenched but experienced manager, the likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Massimiliano Allegri. But there are others who have different views. In all reality, we will probably never know who is right, other than the proficiency of the actual candidate that is appointed.

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That said, Ray Parlour has made quite the statement on the man who he believes would be a ‘great fit’ for the club. Speaking on TalkSport, Parlour highlighted the work of Rafa Benitez at Newcastle, claiming that the former Liverpool and Chelsea manager would be a wise hiring because of his over-achieving work with a team with little investment:

"“What he has done for Newcastle this season is amazing. With not a lot of investment, he’s got them playing so well. They are out of trouble when it looked like they would be in a relegation battle, and now they are sitting really healthy in the league. He would be a great fit, but whether Arsenal want to go down that road…”"

Now, don’t get me wrong here. Benitez has certainly done a brilliant job at Newcastle, far exceeding expectations with a team that has received spending in the past couple of years. And he does deserve respect for the job that he has done in the North East.

But the Spaniard would be an extremely underwhelming appointment. His time at Liverpool ended sourly, with his decisions in the transfer market somewhat puzzling, especially in his later years.

He struggled greatly at Real Madrid, lasting just seven months. That team, under Zinedine Zidane, has since gone on to win the last two Champions Leagues, having lifted the European a year prior to Benitez’s arrival. And while his recovery job at Newcastle has been phenomenal, he is still not the young, refreshing manager that I would like to see hired.

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And so, this leads me to question Parlour’s opinion. He is obviously entitled to it, and given that he is a former midfielder for Arsenal, he is far more qualified to comment than I am. But I do struggle with this statement. Benitez, for me, would be a major mistake.