It’s official – Rafa Benitez is back in the Premier League after being unveiled as the new manager of Everton in the last few minutes.
News of the 61-year-old’s likely appointment has been met with a huge amount of anger and resent on Merseyside, seeing some fans hoist vulgar anti-Benitez banners both outside Goodison Park and Rafa’s family home.
However, Farhad Moshiri has ignored the protests and handed the Spaniard a three-year contract with the Toffees.
Here’s what Rafa Benitez has had to say since putting pen to paper today:
“I am delighted to be joining Everton.
“Throughout this process I have been greatly impressed by the ambition shown by the senior representatives at the Club and their desire to bring success to this historic Club.
“I believe this is a Club that is going places. I’m determined to play a big part in helping this great Club achieve its ambitions.”
Here’s what Farhad Moshiri’s had to say since the news broke this afternoon:
“Rafa impressed us greatly with his knowledge and experience but, above all, the passion and hunger he showed to join our Club.
“We are appointing Rafa because we believe he will bring success to our Club and to Evertonians.
“To put it simply – we need to be competing at the top-end of the league and to be winning trophies. Rafa is a proven winner with huge experience in coaching internationally and we have secured the best man to achieve that for us.”
Based on some the disgusting abuse he’s received both online and on the blue side of Liverpool over the past few weeks, a big part of me feels Everton do not deserve a man of his class – especially when you consider all the charity work he has done on Merseyside.
That said, the job sees him join a Premier League side with ambition, money to spend, a new stadium on the way, not to mention the fact he’s now working right by his family home on the Wirral.
It hurts to see him at another top flight club able to offer him the project we refused to under Mike Ashley, but we wish him all the best in his next step and back him to silence those Everton fans believing they are bigger than Rafa Benitez.
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Olly – it really doesn’t hate me mate. He was just a toon manager in a long list of toon managers. He’d be on par with Chris Houghton for me & couldn’t lace KK or SBRs boots.
I wish him well at Everton, but I’m not disappointed he’s not coming back to us.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Bullet dodged for me. I’m with Sharpy. Glenn Roeder had a better record, so maybe our 4th or 5th best manager in modern times
PremAndUp(Quote)