WHY SAY ANYTHING?

It’s day 3 of our look through the Premier League clubs and who will be retaining the services of their manager for next season.

Up to now we have decided, either through fact or fiction-which-may-become-fact, that three of the ten we have considered will be leaving for pastures new. So who will be joining Arséne Wenger, Antonio Conte and Claude Puel in seeking alternative employment?

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola

City looks as though it may be Pep’s longest gig at a club since Barcelona. Having just won the Premier League, and broken seven records in doing so, he is in no rush to take on another “project”.

If he can make this team consistently great, (which would have to involve winning the Champion’s League), then this would represent his greatest achievement in football.

He is a leader in the most competitive league in the world and has made it look reasonably easy although, in fairness, his rivals have blown hot and cold all season. Next season will be the acid test.

Having bought property and part-ownership of a new Spanish restaurant in Manchester it doesn’t seem like Pep is looking elsewhere in the foreseeable future, which is good news for all City fans.

Manchester United

José Mourinho

He will still be at Old Trafford next term but a couple of pointers lead us to believe it will be a make-or-break season for him.

Firstly, can he really catch Manchester City? He can’t out-football Guardiola’s team so he has to try and out-tactic them, something at which he has always been one of the best! He has to do this whilst keeping an eye in the rear view mirror where Jürgen Klopp will be trying to reach the Champion’s League by actually being a Champion!

Both Arsenal and Chelsea will have new managers trying to impress by winning the title in their first season and Mauricio Pochettino will, once again, try and over-achieve in order to keep Daniel Levy happy in his new home.

Mourinho will also start the season, for the first time, without his trusty number two Rui Faria, who has decided to have a break and then try his hand at this management lark. Will Michael Carrick be given the opportunity to step up? Possibly, but it will be new ground for Mourinho as well as for him.

But he will still be there, trying to win every game or at least, not lose any!

Newcastle United

Rafa Benitez

Had Rafa been at a smaller club than Newcastle then he would have been gone a couple of years back. It is a measure of his ambition and, to an extent, loyalty that he is still there.

He sees the potential. He sees the possibilities of the Geordies competing in Europe at the highest level. Everything is in place for this to be one of the most successful English clubs. Everything, except for one very important thing, the owner.

As long as Mike Ashley continues to cling on to power at St. James’ Park then the club is stagnating. He is very fortunate to have Benitez keeping them in the Premier League at present.

However, if spending money doesn’t come gushing towards Rafa in the upcoming transfer window or the club isn’t sold to new owners, there could be a new man in charge next season.

If this turns out to be the case then Ashley will have been responsible for losing the club their best manager since Bobby Robson or even Kevin Keegan when he was quite good one season long ago.

We fervently hope, for the sake of all Newcastle fans, that Ashley finds a buyer or, failing that, comes up with the required funds for Benitez to try and keep the club in the Premier League next season. Failure to do one or the other would, in our book, be gross negligence on his part.

The question is; would he care?

So that’s nearly it. Tomorrow we look at the final four teams as we are not expecting anything to change with the managers of the newly promoted clubs.