Moshiri hiring 12 trophy winning boss will move Everton backwards
The circulating news of Rafael Benitez being named as the next possible manager of Everton, tells us who runs the club. Is it the director of football, Marcel Brands? Is it life-long Blue, Bill Kenwright, the club’s chairman? No.
It points to Farhad Moshiri, the club’s majority shareholder. His pockets are as deep as the Mersey is wide. Moshiri is a businessman, a very successful one. He’s an accountant by training and a billionaire, according to Forbes. He’s also close to Alisher Usmanov, who has more money.
Everton have had wealthy businessmen as owners before. Sir John Moores, for example. There’s one example of Moores’ direct involvement with club matters and that’s the infamous taxi ride during which Johnny Carey lost his job as Everton manager in 1961.
Mostly, Moores supplied money. Money that bought in Alan Ball and Howard Kendall. In 1963, Everton was accused of buying the title and became known as the Mersey Millionaires. Moores tried to avoid the spotlight and in a different media climate was able to do so. Yes, there was a time when nobody was connected to the internet, no digital cameras, no social media and no cellphones, either.
Everton are said to be close to appointing Rafael Benitez as the next manager
Moshiri has almost consistently gone for big names when hiring a new Everton manager. Carlo Ancelotti is just the latest in a list of bosses, whose results at Everton didn’t match their reputations.
Benitez, who still has a house on the Wirral Peninsula, smacks of the same. Benitez won the Champions League in 2006, but was still let go by Liverpool less than five years ago.
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Such is the fluff that surrounds some managers it’s easy to forget Ancelotti came to the blue half of Merseyside after getting the sack at Napoli.
At 61, Benitez is no doubt a different manager than he was 15-years-ago. And all that additional experience might not be a boon as some people may think. Brands recently signed a contract extension with the Royal Blues. It seems unlikely, he would have done so without some assurances he would have more influence.
Brands wants to build Everton through its academy as well as big money transfers and big-name managers. If given the choice, he may have looked to Graham Potter or someone like him. Brighton isn’t a big name club, but while there is plenty of money, there is little reputation in the Chinese League, which is where Benitez last managed.
Potter has kept Brighton in the top division and played attractive football, while doing so. This isn’t a football decision made by somebody who has a vision of what the Toffees should be and can be again.
It’s a PR decision made by somebody whose wealth gives him the biggest voice. The School of Science, Moshiri may think it’s one of the departments of Liverpool John Moores University. Instead of the way, the club he owns should play football. Moshiri didn’t become wealthy making bad decisions, hiring Rafa Benitez would be very bad.
Next. 3 reasons to avoid Rafael Benitez for the vacant Everton job. dark
Will Rafael Benitez be named as the next Toffees boss?