Rafa Benitez would be 'huge coup' for Celtic and create intriguing rivalry with Steven Gerrard, says Liverpool legend

Liverpool legend Phil Thompson believes landing Rafa Benitez would be a huge coup for Celtic, as he talked up the prospect of the Spaniard going head-to-head with former Anfield favourite Steven Gerrard.

Rafa Benitez and Steven Gerrard during their time at Liverpool

Insisting that the Hoops securing a deal for the former Newcastle United, Napoli, and Real Madrid boss would be a “massive statement” Thompson – who won seven league titles, three European Cups and two UEFA Cups with the Reds during a 13-year stint on Merseyside – believes there is a chance Benitez would consider Celtic because he retains a house in northwest England.

Thompson said: “Rafa Benitez going to Celtic is potentially a massive, massive coup for them.“It would be huge to get a manager of his quality to go up to Scotland. It would be a massive statement.

“Steven Gerrard would absolutely relish it, too. He played some of his greatest football under Rafa. Yes, he played some good stuff under Gérard Houllier, but that stuff in 2005, 2006 under Rafa was extra, extra special.

"It would be quite something for Scotland to see those two locking horns.”

Despite their closeness and previous relationship, Thompson doesn’t believe it would dilute the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers.

He continued: “That relationship won’t change how much they want their sides to win; it won’t change the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers should it happen.“Steven and Rafa, for those 90 minutes, will desperately want to win and get one over on the other."

With manager Neil Lennon’s Celtic future up in the air Benitez is one of a handful of former English Premier League managers touted as a potential successor along with Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard.

Thompson added: “Rafa would be absolutely great for Celtic. He’s been in some places, different leagues, and to come back a little closer to home would be great.

"He’s still got ambitions in the Premier League and I wonder if some of the teams that can see that he is available and not taking a sabbatical, whether they’d have a look at him. That could be the thing that Celtic are up against.”

Phil Thompson was talking to Paddy Power. Read more at news.paddypower.com

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.