On Sunday, Everton made an announcement that will have shocked few on Merseyside: Rafa Benítez had been sacked.
The Spaniard started his tenure at Goodison Park in great fashion, winning four of his six first Premier League games, but what followed was close to being utterly disastrous, making the decision from the Toffees board anything but a surprise.
The 2-1 loss to Norwich City at the weekend was the final nail in Benítez’s coffin, and now there comes the question of whether or not he’ll end up in another dugout somewhere.
It remains to be seen if other clubs still feel he has something to offer on the pitch, but there are some who believe he might be better suited in other roles.
Rafa #Benitez conosce la città, l’ambiente, la proprietà.
È una figura carismatica enorme, esperta, ha portato a #Napoli gente come Higuain, Reina, Albiol, Callejon, Koulibaly, Ghoulam, Jorginho. Ha vinto.
Lo porterei in società immediatamente.
In società, non in panchina. https://t.co/G7aExQdMUn
— Diego De Luca (@DiegoDeLucaX) January 16, 2022
One of those is journalist Diego De Luca, who took to Twitter following the Everton announcement of Benítez’s sacking and commented on a possible move back to Napoli.
He said: “Rafa Benítez knows the city, the environment, the ownership. He’s a huge charismatic figure, experienced and has brought people like (Gonzalo) Higuain, (Raúl) Albiol, (José) Calléjon, (Kalidou) Koulibaly, (Faouzi) Ghoulam and Jorginho to Napoli. He’s won. I would take him into the club immediately. In the club, not on the bench”.
This seems to be like a call to hire the now former Everton manager as a director of football of sorts, which is a position currently held by Cristiano Giuntoli.
We’ll have to wait and see, but at 61 years of age, perhaps now is the time for the Spaniard to step in a new direction?
