Everton want to find replacement before sacking Rafa Benitez
Everton want to find a right replacement and agree on compensation before sacking Rafa Benitez, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The transfer expert and Sky Sports Italia journalist claimed on his personal Twitter account last night that the Toffees are pushing to part ways with the Spaniard following their 2-1 loss to Norwich City.
The defeat was their ninth in the last 12 Premier League games, and the poor run of form has left them with no choice than to pull the trigger.
Romano wrote: “Everton board now pushing to sack Rafa Benitez immediately.
“Next steps before a final decision is to find the right replacement and agree on compensation.
“Nothing official yet – but the plan is to fire the Spanish manager.”
Has to go
Benitez simply has to go after just five wins and four draws in 19 games, and he has run out of excuses.
Everton want to have a perfect successor in place before sacking him, and Farhad Moshiri must get this decision right.
A lot of the fans were against the appointment of the former Liverpool boss last summer, and he has done little to convince the detractors.
The Blues were dumped out of the League Cup by Queens Park Rangers and they required extra-time before getting better of Hull City in the FA Cup third round last weekend.
Defeat to 18th-placed Norwich was the final straw for Benitez, and the next boss will need to hit the ground running.
Finishing in the European zone is still very much possible this season, but Rafa is not the one to take the club to the next level.
He never looked capable of getting the job done in the first place, and his successor must be capable of delivering instant results.
Marcel Brands and Lucas Digne were forced out of Goodison Park because of him, and it is clear to see that they were never the problem.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are plotting January loan-to-buy bid for centre-mid hailed by Jack Grealish last month.
Be sure to follow Goodison News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on Everton and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Campbell.