As one might imagine, Rafa Benitez's arrival at Stamford Bridge as interim manager in 2012 came as quite a slap in the face to Chelsea fans still hurting from Roberti Di Matteo's untimely departure just months after winning the Champions League. This was a man who had beaten the Blues in two Champions League semi-finals with drab defensive tactics - meaning that a sub-standard Liverpool side reached two finals, while Jose Mourinho's team of world class individuals missed out. As expected, we didn't warm to Rafa when he walked out for his first game at the Bridge. He had made a number of derogatory comments about the club during his Liverpool days and was rightly given a frosty reception. Rafa Benitez is set to leave Napoli this summer and will have a host of clubs after his services . Benitez was made Chelsea interim manager in 2012 but it's fair to say the fans never warmed to him . Cody Taylor is a fan writer on 90min.com . He did little to bring the support on-side in his the first few weeks either. Chelsea drew Benitez's first two games 0-0, before a 3-1 defeat against West Ham in a London derby - embarrassing. The only thing is, in the end he managed to get the job done and it would be the same for another club today. Rafa never liked being called the 'interim' manager, in fact he made a point of letting people know the title irked him, but he was brought in on a mission to keep the club on course until the end of the season. It wasn't pretty, but that was exactly what he did. Rafa also managed to get a better return from Fernando Torres - a player that was pretty much useless at Chelsea before and after. The season even ended with another European trophy. People often forget that in 2011/12 Chelsea finished 6th in the Premier League - the lowest in 10 years - a fact conveniently masked by two cup wins. In 2012/13 Rafa ensured Chelsea finished 3rd and got an automatic pass back into the Champions League group stage when there was big pressure from Arsenal and Tottenham. As Chelsea fans, we certainly didn't like him, but looking back we hate to think what might have happened without him. Benitez got the best out of his squad for the rest of the season and he got the best out of Fernando Torres . Chelsea won the Europa League in 2013 under Rafa Benitez after beating Benfica in Amsterdam . One Chelsea fan thanks Benitez for his efforts on the last day of the season in 2013 at Stamford Bridge . The rumours are that he could now be on for a return to the Premier League - he knows English football inside out and would actually be perfect for several clubs. Manchester City is one possible destination - he'd probably do a similar interim job there while they wait for Pep Guardiola - and Newcastle is another. The reality is that while Rafa possibly wouldn't be a popular choice at either, he would give both clubs exactly what they need. City require an experienced and pragmatic stop-gap that knows how to keep things ticking over until they can land their superstar. Newcastle need someone who can get the best out of a talented group of players that are significantly underachieving at this moment in time. In that respect Rafa certainly made sure Liverpool punched above their weight. People don't like to admit it, but he's a good manager and probably deserves his chance in the Premier League again.
Rafa Benitez's contract at Napoli expires this summer and he is set to leave . Manchester City, West Ham and Newcastle could be looking for a new boss . Benitez was a success at Liverpool, but struggled to win over Chelsea fans . But he still won the Europa League with the Blues and they are thankful . He would bring success to almost any Premier League team next season .