Everton told to replace Brands after manager update – pundit
Alan Hutton has suggested Everton are “a mess” behind the scenes following Rafael Benitez’s sacking.
The former Scotland defender, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted the Toffees need to conduct a top-down review behind closed doors after their disappointing season.
Everton confirmed Benitez’s exit on Sunday (16 January) after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Norwich City.
Football Insider revealed on Sunday (16 January) that Duncan Ferguson would be placed in interim charge, which was confirmed by Everton on Tuesday night.
Benitez’s exit came after several high-profile departures behind the scenes at Goodison Park, most notably Marcelo Brands leaving his post as director of football in December.
The Toffees also parted ways with head of medical services Danny Donachie in November.
As reported by the Athletic, his departure came after a Benitez-led review of the medical team on Merseyside.
Hutton suggested the Toffees need to replace Brands before appointing a new manager.
Hutton told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “They do look a mess. You bring up Daniel Donachie and I worked with him at Aston Villa. He’s probably one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.
“He’s very good at his job, has got time for everybody and then I heard that (he had left Everton). It just kind of shows you, we don’t really know what’s really going on in the background.
“It’s a difficult one. The bottom line is they’ve spent half a billion pounds. The owners have backed the managers that have ever been there apart from Rafa.
“The pursestrings were pulled tight so it was always a difficult one for him to take on. With the Liverpool connections, it was always going to be hard.
“The results basically just haven’t been good enough. It’s a club in a mess. They’re looking over their shoulder at the moment. They need a fix as soon as possible.
“It has to start at the top. They need a director who then brings in the manager. They need to look at recruitment too. There are a whole host of things needing fixed within that club.”
Everton are on a run of just one win in the last 12 Premier League games.
Football Insider revealed on Sunday (16 January) that the Toffees are set to put Duncan Ferguson and Leighton Baines in interim charge.
In other news, Kieran Maguire claims Everton owed up to ‘£8million’ after a High Court ruling.