Rafa Benitez Everton appointment reportedly off after fan backlash

Everton are said to have cooled their interest in Rafael Benitez as their new manager following the largely negative reaction to his potential appointment from supporters last week.

That’s according to talkSPORT, who initially broke the news that Benitez was on the brink of replacing Carlo Ancelotti as Everton boss last Wednesday.

The news was poorly received by many Evertonians, due to both his association with Liverpool, who he managed between 2004 and 2010, and his patchy managerial record in the last decade.

Banners with messages in firm opposition to Benitez’s appointment were also hung outside Goodison Park after the news broke.

And talkSPORT now report that, while Benitez remains a contender to become Ancelotti’s successor, Everton’s interest in him has ‘gone quiet’, with no contract offer tabled as yet.

Benitez, 61, left Liverpool in 2010 having won one Champions League and FA Cup each in his six years at the club.

He has since managed Inter Milan, where he was sacked six months after his appointment, Chelsea, where he won the 2012-13 Europa League as interim boss, Napoli, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, and most recently Chinese club Dalian Professional.

Benitez, who still owns a house on Merseyside, left Dalian in January, citing fears regarding his family’s wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason for his departure.

Everton were said to be set to appoint former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo as their new manager ten days ago, but their interest in the Portuguese also seems to have waned.

Other potential candidates for the job include Graham Potter, Eddie Howe, Christophe Galtier and Duncan Ferguson, among many others.

Everton, who have been without a manager since Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid on June 1, are due to begin pre-season training on July 5.