Jonjo Shelvey is arguably the best player in the Championship and Newcastle will be delighted to have kept him this summer.
The sporadic England international has bags of talent but perhaps his application is sometimes called into question.
Having said that, Benitez appears to have grounded him to an extent and the 24-year-old is thriving in the Championship.
Shelvey keeps things ticking over in midfield with an exquisite range of passing, the ability to tackle, carry the ball forward and threaten the goal with long range efforts.
He is certainly someone to build the first team around and he is instrumental to Newcastle's success in the middle of the park.
In Isaac Hayden and Jack Colback, he has two very capable partners but Benitez might look to add another top quality central midfielder to the ranks in January.
Here are 4 who would complement Shelvey perfectly in central midfield.
Hector Herrera
Newcastle have recently been linked with an optimistic move for Porto's Hector Herrera.
The 26-year-old is an energetic box-to-box midfielder who would do all the hard work in midfield while Shelvey roams around and picks his passes from more static positions.
The Mexico international might be tempted to join Rafa Benitez at St James' Park.
Ronaldo Vieira
Ronaldo Vieira might be seen as more of a "one for the future" type of midfielder but he would still be a great addition in January.
The 18-year-old has been a star performer in Leeds' midfield this season after making his first team breakthrough.
The more defensive-minded central midfielder could be rotated with Isaac Hayden and Jack Colback and allow Shelvey to move a bit further forward.
Dale Stephens
Brighton midfielder Dale Stephens is out of contract in the summer and has stalled on signing a new deal.
After Burnley saw several bids turned down for the tidy central midfielder in the summer, Newcastle could look to poach him.
Stephens wants to play Premier League football and Newcastle are in a great position to offer him that next year (although he might choose to fight promotion with Brighton).
James McCarthy
James McCarthy has been linked with Newcastle and he'd be an ideal addition.
The Republic of Ireland international was one of Everton's key men last year but Ronald Koeman is not a fan.
The tough-tackling central midfielder would do the more defensive-minded work while Shelvey would have a bit more license to roam forward.
Newcastle fans - would you take any of these 4 players? Do you need another central midfielder? Let us know in the comments below...