Everton’s director of football Marcel Brands ‘LEAVES the club with immediate effect’ just seven months into a three-year contract amid growing scrutiny of club’s failed transfers during eight-game winless run
- Marcel Brands arrived at Everton in 2018 as the club’s director of football
- Around £240million has been spent with very little improvement to show for it
- Rafael Benitez started his reign with four straight wins after joining this summer
- Everton’s form has declined and they now sit 15th, just above the drop zone
Marcel Brands has reportedly agreed to immediately step down as Everton’s director of football amid the Toffees’ terrible run of form.
A 4-1 defeat by Liverpool in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday night means Rafael Benitez’s men are winless in eight and mired in 15th, with the pressure cranked up on the Spaniard.
Brands arrived in 2018 after Everton had finished eighth, having been director of football at PSV Eindhoven for eight years but, having spent £240million in the transfer market, the Merseyside club have gone backwards and have seen both Marco Silva and Carlo Ancelotti depart.
Marcel Brands has reportedly agreed to resign having been heavily criticised over transfers
A 4-1 Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool made it eight games without a win for Everton
Rafael Benitez is said to be the subject of an emergency meeting on Monday over his future
Now with Benitez – whose future is said to be the subject of an emergency meeting on Monday – at the helm, the Toffees are struggling after a bright start to the campaign as the team threaten to finish in the bottom half.
The Dutchman, who, according to the Mirror has agreed a severance package, was the target of abuse after the loss to Liverpool.
On leaving the stadium, one fan shouted: ‘Get out of this club? S***, absolutely s***.’ Brands then reached the supporter, who asked him: ‘Did you recruit [the players]?’.
Brands appeared to reply: ‘Is it only the players [who are to blame]?’, to which the fan responded: ‘No, it’s everyone. It’s the board…’ before Brands walked out, with the supporter saying: ‘It’s crap.’
More furious supporters vented their anger at the board against Liverpool, calling for them to be sacked, while many others left early during their worst home Merseyside derby defeat in 39 years.
Brands is only seven months into a three-year contract, but will reportedly only be paid up until the end of the season.
The decision to replace Steve Walsh with Brands was seen by many as an ambitious move by a club that had spent an eye-watering amount in the last two years under owner Farhad Moshiri.
However, despite arriving at Goodison Park having overseen three Eredivisie titles in four seasons at PSV, Brands couldn’t engineer the same success in England.
Expensive buys like Alex Iwobi, Andre Gomes and Moise Kean have failed to make a big impact
Marco Silva and Carlo Ancelotti came and went as neither man could establish consistency
The appointment of Silva began to backfire towards the end of 2019 and the expensive purchases of Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean, Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin have failed to reap the expected rewards.
Ancelotti came in to replace the Portuguese and steadied the ship before leaving for Real Madrid this summer
But 2019-20 was a wasted season given the money spent the previous summer and last term did not lead to the improvements expected, despite a free-scoring Dominic Calvert-Lewin having the campaign of his life.
Everton tightened their belts over the summer and, although a strong start to the campaign saw them win their first four league games, things have gone rapidly downhill and they now find themselves just five points above the relegation zone.