My post that you quoted was a response to redprodigal as to one of the reasons why Mourinho wouldn't be coming here, so I'm not sure why you are asking me the question mate.
For what it's worth though I'll have a go at answering you; though you are asking many questions and putting almost as many opinions forward.
And what, in your opinion, is the real reason Benítez is playing hardball over his contract situation presently?
Its a serious question.
Does he want out, for whatever reason, and keeps issuing new demands to force the owners into a decision (cos like it or not, as I certainly dont, we are having the owners for the forseeable)?
Or is there really some serious sticking point regarding control of the Academy? Cant see that myself.
Or is he really being denied control of his transfer dealings.. money aside.. cant see that either if Im honest.
Or is it that he wants to be certain of the ownership going forward?
Well this last one is interesting.
How can he expect to know about the ownership, when the owners don't know either? There is no imminent buyout, and how would Benítez expect the current owners to say what can happen?
So why is this of importance to him? Because none of the other potential sticking points in the contract negotiations appear to be a real issue. The tenure/money are sorted. He has been granted Academy control. There might be some fineprint about his control of any transfer budget, but in principle Hicks has rubberstamped this, and with Parry gone... theres no real impediment.
You ask what my opinion is to the 'real' reason' Benitez hasn't signed, implying that there is an ulterior motive for him. Which you go on to state more emphatically later in your post.
I doubt if my thoughts on the matter will alter your viewpoint as it seems clear that you have already given it some thought and come to your own conclusions, so my opinion isn't going to change that.
We can all assume many things,try to read between the lines and attempt to see what is or isn't actually there. Some have to be taken on face value.
The contract apparently hasn't been signed for the same reason it wasn't signed in the first place. It isn't what Benitez has asked for, despite assurances that each time it will be.
Each time it is redrafted it doesn't clarify the areas Benitez had previously requested clarification and transparency about.
Those areas are:
A certain amount of autonomy in transfer dealings.
Influence over Academy affairs.
These are the areas he was promised he would have more say in back when he was offered the position.
This is the first opportunity to change and address what has been an unworkable position for Benitez given the needs of Liverpool F.C. Once bitten twice shy so to speak.
So, I ask again, what is Rafa's problem?
It has to be his future if the ownership changes sometime, or, he doesn't want to sign. Now, it may be that previously interested buyers of the Club are not supportive of Benítez, but these buyers are gone, and no other sugar daddy is imminent. If a takeover was forthcoming, and if these were not wanting to retain him, I could see the reason for Rafa wanting his future clarified before signing up... but he knows as well as everyone else, that in the current climate... there is no takeover. Hicks will be his master for the future few years.
So, I say again, I have a feeling that Rafa is engineering his exit this summer without appearing to let the fans down or to desert the sinking ship. Thats my take on this saga. It certainly hasn't done the Club or the team any favours in recent weeks, and that cannot be argued. I think the politician in him has over-ruled the football coach on this occasion, and once again we will be the losers.
New ownership is irrelevant to the contract.The contract will only provide assurances to Benitez in terms of the amount of compensation he would receive if new owners decided to sack him during it's term. No contract can prevent that from happening.The contract can't contain assurances it won't be changed by new owners, simply because it can't be.
The contract issue was brought into the public arena by the media, not Rafa Benitez. Unless the conspiracy theorists want to speculate that he deliberately primed a certain journalist to broach the subject randomly and out of context in one of his weekly press conferences.
It was leaked that negotiations had begun on the contract which Benitez initially fended off questions about in October 2008.Cast your mind back to when this all came out and how every press conference was quickly being dominated by contract questions.There is a ready made, ongoing story there for the press, as they continue to attach anything Benitez related to the ownership debacle and his relationship with them. What better story than if he will be given/want a new contract. It was always going to be media driven.
This goes back to the beginning of November when Benitez made these comment:
"For me, it has to be done this month. I don't want to be talking about this at every press conference,"
"I want it out of the way so we can concentrate on just the football. The owners have come forward and said they are happy with the job we are doing, so we have to sort it quickly because it's important for the stability and the players that are thinking about signing new contracts.
"Stability is important to every club. To me the length of the contract is important, I would like to be here for a long time because the club and the team is progressing.
"We have a new stadium on the way and I think we have a team capable of winning trophies in the future, so I want to be part of the future of the club. I feel we are on the verge of something good here."
As this was now firmly in the public domain with no sign of the 3rd or 4th draft being satisfactory, Benitez put the ball firmly in the owners court by issuing his public statement about the content.
This forced the owners hand prior to the Chelsea game.....nearly 3 months of press speculation, re drafting and renegotiation later!
So either you believe Benitez an honest and genuine man or is playing games with us all and is angling for a summer move. Or you take it on face value that there are areas he is justifiably concerned about in order to do the job he was promised he had before he signed his current contract back in 2004, are genuine.