Everton and manager Rafa Benitez have agreed to part ways after just six and a half months in the job, 90min understands.
This comes after Saturday’s woeful 2-1 Premier League defeat against Norwich.
Talks on the specific details of his departure are continuing but 90min understands that the decision for the Spaniard to leave the club is mutual.
It was a ninth defeat in the last 13 Premier League games for the Toffees and the mood appeared to have been souring for several weeks. Fans had also begun to turn on Benitez, brandishing banners, while one irate supporter even tried to confront the Spaniard at Carrow Road.
90min can reveal that club legend Duncan Ferguson has been asked to temporarily take over as caretaker manager, as he previously did in 2019 when Marco Silva was dismissed.
Former Everton player Slaven Bilic, who has managed in the Premier League with West Ham and West Brom, is interested in the job and has already put himself forward for consideration. Boyhood Blue Wayne Rooney, who has worked wonders with Derby, is expected to be linked with the role.
Benitez has previously enjoyed success in the Premier League with Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle, but he is to be the third Everton manager to leave mid-season since the start of 2017/18. Overall, the team has had six permanent bosses since Farhad Moshiri’s investment.
Everton sit 15th in the Premier League table, just six points above the relegation zone. Next up before the winter break is the visit of Aston Villa to Goodison Park, before resuming the season in February with a FA Cup fourth round tie against Brentford.
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