Dutchman
Brands
joined
Everton
from
Eredivisie
outfit
PSV
in
2018
and
signed
a
new
three-year
contract
as
recently
as
April.

Reports
emerged
on
Sunday
(December
5)
he
had
left
his
Goodison
Park
post
and
that
was
made
official
late
in
the
evening,
with
Brands
saying
it
was
his
choice
to
move
on.

Brands
departed
due
to
differences
in
opinion
over
plans
for
the
future
of
the
club,
with
his
views
apparently
not
sufficiently
aligned
with
those
of
others.

He
said,
quoted
on
Everton’s
website:
“This
decision
has
taken
some
time
and
some
consideration
and
was
one
of
the
most
difficult
I
have
faced
in
my
career.

“The
board
and
I
agreed
that
there
is
a
clear
difference
in
the
vision
and
direction
for
this
beautiful
club
and,
with
that
in
mind,
the
decision
was
taken.”

Everton
are
mired
in
a
dismal
run
of
form
under
former
Liverpool
boss
Benitez,
taking
one
point
from
a
possible
21
across
their
last
seven
games
to
slide
out
of
the
top
half
and
down
to
16th
place.

In
a
statement,
the
club
said:
“Everton
Football
Club
can
confirm
that
Marcel
Brands
has
left
his
post
as
director
of
football.

“Brands
joined
Everton
from
PSV
Eindhoven
in
June
2018
and
was
appointed
to
the
club’s
board
in
2019.
The
owner
and
directors
would
like
to
thank
Marcel
for
the
service
he
has
given
to
the
club
over
the
past
three
and
a
half
years
and
wish
him
well
for
his
future.

“A
strategic
review
of
the
football
structure
will
now
take
place
which
will
inform
the
best
model
for
the
club
to
proceed
with
in
the
long-term.

“In
the
meantime,
the
owner
and
board
of
directors
will
continue
to
provide
our
manager,
Rafa
Benitez,
with
their
full
support.”

“This
decision
has
taken
some
time
and
some
consideration
and
was
one
of
the
most
difficult
I
have
faced
in
my
career.”

A
statement
from
Marcel
Brands.

—
Everton
(@Everton)

December
5,
2021

Everton’s
owner
is
Farhad
Moshiri,
who
elected
to
appoint
Benitez
after
Carlo
Ancelotti
left
the
club
at
the
end
of
last
season
to
embark
on
a
second
spell
as
head
coach
of
LaLiga
giants
Real
Madrid.

A
4-1
defeat
to
Merseyside
rivals
Liverpool
last
Wednesday
was
Everton’s
last
Premier
League
outing,
with
Benitez’s
team
next
in
action
on
Monday
when
they
face
Arsenal
at
Goodison.

The
appointment
of
Benitez
in
June
was
a
controversial
one
given
his
past
as
a
fans’ favourite
at
Liverpool,
and
his
renowned
affection
for
the
Reds.

A
positive
start
curried
favour
with
some
sceptics,
but
there
has
been
a
cooling
in
the
support
from
many
Everton
supporters
for
the
Spaniard
and
his
team
in
recent
weeks,
with
results
in
sharp
decline.