Rafael Benitez says it’s ‘important to be positive about the future’ as the Everton boss is set to get more control at Goodison Park following the departure of Marcel Brands as Director of Football.
Everton confirmed Brands’ departure on Sunday following increasing frustrations amongst the clubs support, the club going into their game against Arsenal having collected just two points from a possible 24.
That run of results had piled pressure on Benitez – already an unpopular appointment given his past ties to Liverpool – while supporters have turned their wrath at the club’s board following years of lavish yet seemingly directionless spending.
That pressure saw Marcel Brands ‘step down’ from his role as Director of Football, the Dutchman citing ‘a clear difference in the vision and direction’ for the club.
Everton would go on to win their fixture against Arsenal on Monday night, coming from behind to earn all three points and to move themselves eight points above the relegation zone, and when asked if he will have more control at the club in the wake of Brands’ departure, Benitez said: “You can say it in this way.”
“I was working for years with a director of football. It is not an issue. Now we have to think about the future and we have a situation where we must take responsibility.
“The club has changed managers in the past and now they want to do something long term with a clear idea of what we want to achieve. With my experience and the people we have in the club I think we can guide things in the direction that will hopefully be the right one.”
Asked further about Brands’ departure, Benitez added: “The reality is that the club was not progressing at the pace that maybe everybody was expecting and now it’s just really important to be positive about the future.”
