Benitez waited for club takeover until ‘last minute’ before

RAFA Benitez says he was waiting for a takeover ‘until the last minute’ before leaving Newcastle United last summer.

The popular Spaniard departed from the club at the end of June when his contract expired, Benitez and the Magpies unable to agree an extension.

A move to Chinese club Dalian Yifang swiftly followed for the Champions League-winning boss, with United bringing in Steve Bruce as his replacement weeks later.

However, Benitez said he was holding out hope for a deal which would have saw Mike Ashley’s Tyneside tenure end and his own managerial reign continue.

He said: “I was waiting for Newcastle until the last minute but because there was no takeover and nothing was changing I did not want to stay in another survival battle.

“I said: ‘What are the options we have at the moment?’ The top sides in Europe were not available so I said: ‘OK, I have this opportunity.’

“People say, ‘Oh, but the league is not strong’ – yes, I know, but it is a project and they want to do well.”

Despite walking away from the club in the summer, Benitez still harbours fond memories of life on Tyneside and wishes the club well.

However, he said he could not face another year of trying to merely avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Spaniard added: “My idea was to grow, to compete and to be sure we could challenge but there was another vision and that was it.

“If you see the profit of the team in the last few years, we did what we needed to do to be successful and that, it is up to him.

“I still love the city, the fans and