One-club Liverpool hero Jamie Carragher left Jim White laughing when the pundit received the news that Everton had agreed to appoint Rafa Benitez as the club’s new manager.
The 61-year-old has penned a three-year deal with the Toffees and was pictured arriving at Everton’s USM Finch Farm training facility on Wednesday morning.
He was preceded by the arrival of notable coaches such as Duncan Ferguson, Leighton Baines and David Unsworth.
Speaking via talkSPORT [30/6/21, 11:12am], show host Jim White discussed the Everton development, prompting guffaws and laughter from Carragher:
“It’s one of those ones where I sit back with the popcorn and watch it all unfold.”
White then laughed and said: “Great answer, Jamie. Why not?”
Read Everton Verdict
Benitez is undoubtedly a divisive appointment, given his long-standing association with Liverpool.
The fan backlash – however extreme – is symptomatic of a fan community ruptured by the prospect of Benitez’ appointment.
Yet it is clear from the appointment that the likes of Marcel Brands and Farhad Moshiri has disregarded those concerns and are adamant that the 2005 Champions League winner is the man to take the club forward.
It should be noted that Benitez was never Plan A.
Real Madrid offered a sizable compensation package for Carlo Ancelotti – a manager who failed to achieve European football in his first full season in charge of the club.
In a balance between risk and reward, the board clearly felt accepting the sum from Madrid was a risk worth taking, and there seems to be no way back for the deal to appoint Benitez at Everton.
Liverpool aces like Carragher may well be left laughing at Everton’s managerial saga, but a successful transfer window and positive results are the best antidotes to the concerns of doubters.
