Welcome to Anfield, Rafa Benitez to help Klopp win Premier League again

Rafa Benítez is finalising his return to LaLiga, specifically to the Celta Vigo bench. Talks with the Galician club, which celebrates its centenary in 2023, are "well underway" and his signing could be announced as early as this week. The coach would return to coaching in Spanish competition 19 years after leaving Valencia after winning the league and UEFA Cup double in 2004.

The key to Benítez's arrival in Vigo lies with Luis Campos. The Portuguese, sporting advisor to Celta and PSG, first convinced Carlos Mouriño that the way to growth was to sign a top-level coach after trying, unsuccessfully, to negotiate with Andoni Iraola and feel out Marcelo Gallardo. The bet on Carvahal did not turn out as expected with an agonising permanence that made them rethink the project.

The conditions Benítez had set for his return to the bench were explained in an interview with El Mundo last February. "My priority is to be able to be in a team in the Premier League, in Spain, Italy, Germany or France, the strongest leagues. But the projects that I would like are those in which you can work, develop the youth system and make the most of a medium-high level team to take it one step further up the ladder. That's what we did at Liverpool, Napoli and Valencia. For that you need backing and support, not only financially, but also in terms of structure". In this idea fits perfectly what Luis Campos and Carlos Mouriño have told him they want to do with Celta.

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One of the pillars of the project should be Gabri Veiga, but the canterano's future is up in the air. The 40 million recission clause keeps him at Celta while he plays the U21 European Championship, but Liverpool and Chelsea have already set their eyes on a player who has changed his agent in recent weeks to join Pini Zahavi. Benitez's favour to Klopp will be that he will recommend Veiga to sign for the Reds, making him a stellar reinforcement as they look to win the Premier League again.