Benitez refused chance to sign Philippe Coutinho weeks before Everton sacking

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Rafa Benitez could have left Everton a parting gift prior to his dismissal in the shape of Philippe Coutinho.

On Sunday, the Spaniard was sacked just seven months into a three-year contract after another Premier League defeat.

Bottom club Norwich beat the Toffees 2-1 while one fan even tried to storm the pitch to confront Benitez.

It epitomised the scenes at Goodison Park over the last few months, where fans have vented their anger at the former Liverpool coach following a number of bad performances.

Finding a popular successor is now Everton owner Farhad Moshiri’s top task with chants of “sack the board” ringing in the Carrow Road away end on Saturday.

But another sting to supporters might be the missed opportunity to sign Coutinho, who moved to Aston Villa on loan this month.

According to the Mirror, Benitez refused the chance to sign the Brazilian, who had been offered to them by Barcelona.

Everton had agreed on a deal for the playmaker weeks ago that would have seen him return to Merseyside.

But Benitez denied his arrival – because he had the final say on transfers.

Coutinho has since moved to Villa and already proved an instant hit, grabbing a goal and an assist on his debut against Manchester United.

Everton, meanwhile, also let Lucas Digne leave – incidentally to Villa – mainly because he had fallen out with Benitez, who forced the exit of Marcel Brands as director of football too.

In the end, Everton had no choice but to dismiss the former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Napoli boss after just one win in 13 matches.

Several names have been floated as potential replacements to Benitez, including Jose Mourinho – who Moshiri would love to bring in.

The British-Iranian billionaire might have to look elsewhere after his big-name manager experiment failed again and he could turn to a man the club have already sacked previously.

Roberto Martinez is the favourite to land the Goodison Park job – five years after losing it following a season of turmoil that saw fan protests.

However, his managerial stock has risen after taking Belgium to the top of the FIFA World Rankings while he now has experience in managing some of the best players in the sport.

Another option Moshiri could turn to is Wayne Rooney, who has a strong affiliation with Everton and the fans while also impressing as coach at Derby County.

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