Danny Murphy says Newcastle United should consider Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder as their new manager.
Newcastle are seeking a replacement for Rafa Benitez and have been linked with Belgium’s Roberto Martinez and Manchester City assistant Mikel Arteta.
Yet former midfielder Murphy believes that Wilder would actually be the better option for the Magpies.
“I think Chris Wilder,” he told Jim White on Talksport. “I’d be amazed if he left the club he loves, Sheffield United, but money does talk. Maybe he would. He would be better suited because he knows how to get the best out of players.
“For the squad Newcastle have got at the minute, because of the way they’d have to play to stay in the league, yeah (Wilder would be the best suited), in my opinion.
“I think if they try and go pure football with Martinez or Arteta, although I think it would be brave and it might work, I think that would be a massive risk.”
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Would Chris Wilder join Newcastle?
The chances of prising Wilder away from the Blades after leading them to promotion to the Premier League seem very slim.
The boyhood fan, academy product and former player of the club took charge in the summer of 2016. Since then they have enjoyed two promotions in three years.
It would take something very special for Wilder to walk away from the opportunity to lead his beloved side in the top flight of English football.
The only serious doubts over the 51-year-old’s position at Bramall Lane came last summer. This was because of the ongoing feud between co-owners Kevin McCabe and Prince Abdullah.
“I want to go forward with this club, but I can’t do it all on my own. If it stays the same I don’t think anybody would be surprised if I didn’t question where my career was going,” Wilder told the Yorkshire Post.
“One hundred per cent I want to stay, but, like anybody else, you’ve always got a decision if you don’t agree with what’s going on above you.
“I’ve had it before when I’ve been at a club and didn’t enjoy it. I stayed when I had a chance to get out. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Wilder did of course stay and despite the off-field issues guided the Blades to second place in the Championship. The ownership battle has since lead to a High Court case to determine who will take sole control. The decision of that is expected in the next few months.
Yet even if Wilder was concerned about ownership problems in South Yorkshire, concerns like that would hardly be eradicated at Newcastle. They are run by Mike Ashley, a man who is hugely unpopular among Magpies fans.