Everton Sacks Rafael Benitez As Manager After Six Months In Charge

Everton Football Club has sacked its manager, Rafael Benitez, after just six-and-a-half months in charge of the premier league side.

Rafael Benitez Sacked As Everton Manager

The Spaniard was sacked on Sunday, January 16, after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to relegation-haunted Norwich City that left Everton only two places above the Premier League drop zone, having won just one of their last 13 league games.

A club statement said Benitez, who joined Everton in June 2021, has left the club with immediate effect, adding that an update on a permanent replacement will be made in due course.

The statement reads, “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.”

Rafael Benitez Reacts To His Sack By Everton

In a statement on Sunday, the Spaniard said he did not realize the “magnitude of the task” at Everton, lamenting a lack of patience after he was sacked by the club.

Benitez, who acknowledged he had failed to win over the hearts of fans, blamed the club’s financial problem and the team’s many injuries for his disappointing campaign.

He said, “We knew it wouldn’t be easy, and that it was a big challenge, both emotionally and in terms of sport.

“My love for this city, for Merseyside and its people, made me accept this challenge, but it is only when you are inside that you realise the magnitude of the task.

“From the very first day, my staff and myself worked as we always do, with commitment and full dedication, we didn’t only have to get results, but we also had to win over people’s hearts.

“However, the financial situation and then the injuries that followed made things even harder. I am convinced that we would have been better once the injured players were back and with the arrival of the new signings.

“The road to success isn’t easy and sadly, nowadays in football there is a search for immediate results and there is always less and less patience; unfortunately circumstances have determined the results and it won’t be possible to continue this project.

“In any case, thank you to the Board, to the staff, to the players, and to those fans who have supported us during this time.”

Rafael Benitez was appointed last summer as Everton’s replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, who left the premier league club for a return to Real Madrid.