Benitez has been relieved of his duties at Goodison Park
Rafael Benitez has been sacked by Everton after seven months in charge, the club have confirmed.
The Spaniard became manager at Goodison Park in June, taking over from Carlo Ancelotti who resigned from his position to return to Real Madrid.
Everton Football Club can confirm the departure of Rafael Benitez as first team manager.
— Everton (@Everton) January 16, 2022
A club statement read: “Everton Football Club can confirm the departure of Rafael Benitez as first team manager.
“Benitez, who joined Everton in June 2021, has left the Club with immediate effect.
“An update on a permanent replacement will be made in due course.”
Benitez’s arrival was met with strong backlash from Everton supporters due to his strong connections to city rivals Liverpool, where he won the Champions League trophy in 2005.
Money seemed limited in the summer at the Merseyside club, with Benitez making just three signings as Asmir Begovic and Andros Townsend both joined on free transfers, while Demarai Gray arrived from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for a fee less than £2 million.
Despite this, Everton persisted and started the season off strongly, winning three of their first six games as new signings Townsend and Gray helped the Toffees climb into the top four.
However, results soon turned sour, as did the atmosphere at Goodison Park, as fans continued to express their displeasure at Benitez – most notably, a 5-2 defeat to Watford in October in which former Everton forward Josh King scored a hat-trick
The 61-year-old won just one of his last 13 matches, with the final of those being a 2-1 defeat away at Norwich City.
As of yet, it remains unclear as to who could be in line to take over, however Everton will be hoping for a quick and smooth appointment in order to turn their season around.
Related links:
- Everton fan storms pitch at Carrow Road to confront Rafa Benitez
- Lucas Digne bids farewell to Everton with swipe at Rafa Benitez
- John Terry shares tweet criticising former manager Rafa Benitez
