Joey Barton asked about Rafa Benitez being linked with Everton job and whether Sam Allardyce should be Toffees target

Follow us on Google Discover

Ronald Koeman has come under increasing pressure at Everton lately, and Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has been linked with succeeding him.

Joey Barton has told The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT (broadcast on 16th October 2017; 7:42 am) that while a deal may work logistically, he cannot see Rafa Benitez becoming Everton’s next manager, while he also has little desire to see Sam Allardyce succeed Ronald Koeman.

Koeman appears to be coming under increasing pressure at Goodison Park at the moment, with Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Brighton leaving them just three points and two places above the bottom three in the Premier League and without a win since the narrow victory over Bournemouth in September.

The Sun suggested that Newcastle’s Rafa Benitez was being lined up as a potential successor if the Toffees hierarchy decided to make a change.

But Barton was sceptical about the chances of the Spaniard taking over at Goodison Park, insisting that his links with Liverpool and the job that he is doing at Newcastle make that deal seem unlikely.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that. He is based in The Wirral, so it would maybe logistically fit for him but I think the Toon Army wouldn’t be too happy about that,” he told The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT.

“They’d be saying, ‘why would you leave Newcastle for Everton?’ It would interrupt his status as a Liverpool icon, Rafa, because winning the European Cup at Liverpool, he’s going to be in their history for a long time so, do I see it happening? Probably not.”

Given that he is currently out of work, one name that appears to frequently appear in the frame for top jobs is that of Allardyce, who left Crystal Palace at the end of last season. But while some Toffees fans may be interested in the former England boss, Barton suggested that he would not be keen on such an appointment.

“No, because I just don’t think it’s a step forward,” he added, when asked by Alan Brazil whether Everton should consider Big Sam.

Though Barton did not appear convinced about Allardyce, his ability to get the best out of the players available to him surely makes him a name that the club must consider if they decide to make a change in the future.