The immortal Frank Sinatra probably sums up best how Farhad Moshiri feels about that disastrous, doomed-from-the-very-beginning appointment of Rafael Benitez at Everton last summer.
“Regrets? I’ve had a few.”
Selling Lucas Digne, one of Everton’s most consistent performers, at Benitez’s request – before shoving the manager out the door too just a few days later – is just the tip of a sorry old iceberg.
Moshiri sided with Benitez over Marcel Brands too, a decision which leaves Everton without a director of football.
Then there was the termination of James Rodriguez’s contract. Another influential figure Benitez didn’t see eye to eye with.
Yes, Rodriguez’s wages were a drain on Everton’s resources. But as the toothless Toffees drew blanks against Southampton, Brentford and Aston Villa, it’s impossible not to wonder whether Rodriguez’s wand of a left foot could have pulled a point out of the proverbial hat, conjuring up a draw or even a win with a sprinkling of magic dust.
And as Pep Guardiola exalted Matheus Nunes as ‘one of the best players in the world today’ following Manchester City’s Champions League trip to Sporting Lisbon last week, the sky hanging over Goodison Park would have turned from a gloomy grey to lightning-cracked charcoal.
One suspects Farhad Moshiri will be the first in the queue when they invent time machines.
Why did Everton not sign Matheus Nunes?
According to Record, Everton were in talks to sign Sporting’s £20 million Portugal international last summer. The Toffees even negotiated a contract with Nunes, offering the 23-year-old a substantial pay rise at Goodison Park.
That was until Benitez arrived, however. He wasted no time nixing a deal Everton had spent much of the summer working on.
The Spaniard is famed for demanding control behind the scenes, including over recruitment. And Benitez was never going to readily accept a player brought in by those operating above his head.
A rather petty power struggle seems like an insufficient reason for Everton to turn their back on one of Europe’s most exciting central midfielders. One who, with his blend of searing speed and outrageous technical ability, looks like the perfect foil for Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure in an often undermanned and undercooked Everton midfield.
“Ever since this world began,” Sinatra sang. “There is nothing sadder than a long lost loser looking for the gal that got away.”
As far as Everton are concerned, it’s a potentially world-class central midfielder that slipped through their fingers.
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