Former Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez agrees three-year contract at Everton

Benitez is understood to have agreed a three-year deal with the Premier League club, which lost Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid early this month.

Merseyside-based Benitez – who left Newcastle in 2019 after failing to agree a new deal with owner Mike Ashley – has been out of work since leaving Chinese club Dalian Professional early this year. Benitez was a candidate to return to St James’s Park in the event of a successful takeover by a consortium backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

Some Everton fans, unhappy with Benitez’s previous association with their rivals Liverpool, have protested against the proposed appointment since news of talks broke earlier this month.

Merseyside Police are investigating a “threatening” anti-Benitez banner hung close to his home. A statement read: “We can confirm police are investigating reports of a threatening banner at a location in Caldy.”