Rafael Benítez wants to stay at ‘ideal’ Chelsea beyond the summer

Rafael Benítez says he wants to extend his spell in charge of Chelsea beyond the summer.

The Spaniard, who was appointed as Roberto Di Matteo’s successor until the end of the season nine weeks ago, has confirmed that he would want to stay at Stamford Bridge should the opportunity arise.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich had been thought to be holding out to appoint former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola in the summer.

But the news that Guardiola has signed a three-year deal to take charge of Bayern Munich from next season has significantly increased Benítez’s chances of landing the Chelsea role on a permanent basis.

“A lot of doors can be opened but the main one is this one here,” Benitez told the Times.

“I don’t want to enter this debate at the moment, as the priority for me is to do really well and to win trophies for this club. But afterwards we will see and you never know.

“Staying in the Premier League is my priority but I am a professional and may have to consider other options when thinking about the future. I’m focused on winning here for the moment. I had different offers in different countries, but the priority for me was coming back to the Premier League and to a club that can challenge for trophies.

“Chelsea is an ideal club because we can still win trophies. If we continue playing in the way we did against Arsenal, everybody will be really pleased.

“When I say everybody I mean everybody – the fans, the owner, the staff, the players and everybody. When the team is doing well, it will give me a way to move forward.”

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