Rafa Benitez eyes another Premier League job after being sacked by Panathinaikos

Rafael Benitez has not shut the door on a return to Premier League management after he was sacked by Panathinaikos.

The former Liverpool and Chelsea boss has been out of work since leaving the Athens giants in May, having signed the most valuable contract in Greek football history.

Panathinaikos ‘changed our targets’

And speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, he discussed where he might go next and had his say on the general state of football management.

Appearing on White and Jordan, Benitez explained the circumstances surrounding his Panathinaikos departure, appearing to claim that the club moved the goalposts over his objectives.

“You have the play-offs here,” he explained. “When we [he and his coaching team] came here in October, it was the third coach or the fourth coach at this time – so in October, so think about that.

“And the target was to finish in the top four. And then we started – we were seventh and then we started doing well. They told us, ‘Forget about Europa League‘. We finished in the Europa League [last 16] – that was the best result in the last 16 years – we were in the semi-final of the [domestic] cup and we finished fourth [in the league].

“But we were doing so well. We were the best team in the second part of the league [season]. We were doing so well that they changed the targets. So, when we went to the play-offs, you start the play-offs with the point that you have in the league – that was -11, respecting of the other teams – and then they wanted to win or they wanted to finish second.

“And as soon as we lost the derby – normally the derby against Olympiacos is massive – we lost the derby and they panicked and they changed their minds.

“And even if we signed five young players in January, they changed everything – and then they started the new project like every year, so they have around eight coaches in the last three years or something like that, so it’s quite complicated.

“But anyway, it’s a great experience because, to be fair, the fans and even the president, they were fine – but the way that they work here in Greece, they change their coaches all the time. And they are not patient. I think it’s also the same around the world.”

Asked by Jim White if he would accept “the right offer” should it come up in England, Benitez responded: “Remember, I was in Liverpool for six years, Newcastle three years and Chelsea seven-eight months. And we were successful in all these projects, but it seems that people have no patience now.”

Despite feeling that clubs would prefer to go for younger managers, 66-year-old Benitez is keen on a Premier League return.

‘Not many clubs in England would go for me’

“And there are not too many teams in England, in the Premier League, that will say, ‘OK, we’ll go for him’,” he continued.

“Because now, they go for the young coaches that play progressive football, these kind of things. But we are ready; we are ready for another challenge.

“And then we are considering not just the Premier League but Serie A – any league that if you can stay around Europe will be fine. If not, you have to think about maybe a national team or maybe another project. But to be fair, we are ready again because we have been working on football all our lives and we enjoy that.”

Benitez enjoyed particularly great success with Liverpool, leading them to their incredible Champions League triumph of 2005 and winning the FA Cup the following year.

He later guided Chelsea to 2012/13 Europa League glory and won the 2016/17 Championship title with Newcastle.

In 2021, Benitez became just the second person to manage both Everton and Liverpool – and the first since William Edward Barclay in the 19th century.