Ligue 1-winning manager Christophe Galtier was never a popular candidate for the Everton board because of his lack of English, as reported by The Athletic.
While Rafa Benitez faces the daunting task of winning over a sceptical fan base, Galtier may have arrived at Goodison Park under scrutiny too.
It turns out his feelings for the club on the other side of Stanley Park may have caused many Everton supporters to shift uncomfortably in their seats. Does that sound familiar?
“We graduated together (after earning our coaching badges),” a close friend of Galtier’s said in November.
“When you graduate, you have to do a week of internship abroad. He did it in Liverpool. His dream is to coach Liverpool.”
But a burning desire to take up residence in the Anfield dugout doesn’t appear to be the reason Galtier wasn’t chosen to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Everton.
Everton board preferred Benitez to Galtier
According to The Athletic, a man renowned for his staying power and an invaluable ability to put together a squad far greater than the sum of its parts has a big black mark against his name.
Unlike Benitez, he isn’t fluent in English.
And, despite leading a Nice side full of unproven youngsters and journeymen to their first Ligue 1 title since the days of a fresh-faced Eden Hazard, Galtier was also deemed to lack the elite-level status Farhad Moshiri wanted.
Then again, after finishing tenth last season under Carlo Ancelotti, Everton should know by now that a reputation can only take you so far.
And, as fans of Leeds United and Southampton will tell you, a lack of English doesn’t necessarily mean a manager is doomed to failure in the Premier League.
And while Benitez’s best years may lie in the distant past – the 61-year-old hasn’t won a major trophy since 2014 and most recently worked in China – Galtier would have arrived at the peak of his powers and a Ligue 1 winner’s medal hanging around his neck.
However, the man who also led St Etienne into Europe four times during his seven years at the helm, winning the Ligue 1 manager of the year award on three occasions, has now taken on the role at an underachieving Nice side instead.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
