Carlo Ancelotti left Everton after only one season in charge, and the Toffees have since been without a head coach. While they aren’t pursuing former Liverpool captain and current Ranger’s boss Steven Gerrard, they are planning on appointing another former Liverpool associate in Rafa Benitez this weekend.
Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is convinced that Benitez is the man to lead the club forward. He has a lot of experience in managing in the top flight, having led Liverpool to the Champions League title in 2005 and managing some of the best talents in the Premier League era.
Should the contract indeed be signed, and Benitez is the next Everton manager, he will be the first man in modern history to manage both Everton and Liverpool. Benitez was last in charge of Newcastle United in 2019, and has since been in charge of Dalian in the Chinese league until early 2021. He has been out of a job since.
The entire Everton board is convinced that Benitez is the man to lead the Toffees into the Champions League. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich reportedly also referred Benitez for the Everton job, and the two parties are close to an agreement. They are also set to bring in renowned fitness expert Paco de Miguel and retain Duncan Ferguson at the club.
Fans of the club are not particularly keen on the management hiring the former Liverpool boss. And the dislike stems from the tactician calling Everton a ‘small club’ during his spell at on the red part of Merseyside.