Benitez blocked Everton from signing £37m Liverpool star before he joined PL rivals – ‘ruled against it’
According to ex-Everton director Marcel Brands, Rafael Benitez “ruled against” the Premier League club signing Luis Diaz before he joined Liverpool.
The Spaniard enjoyed a stellar six-year spell at Liverpool between 2004 and 2010. During this stint, he helped the Premier League giants win the Champions League and FA Cup.
Benitez went on to have spells at Chelsea and Newcastle United before he was appointed by Everton in 2021.
Under him, the Toffees got off to a great start in 2021/22 but this marriage was never going to work in the long-term and he was dismissed in January 2022 following a decline in form.
During the 2021 winter transfer window, Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Diaz, who joined the Reds for an initial fee worth around £37m.
Brands has indicated that Everton were also in the race to sign Diaz before Benitez “ruled against it”.
“I wanted to install my philosophy and structure in the Club that would allow Everton to progress, but the decisions from above did not allow it,” Brands said in an interview with AD Sportwereld (via Diario AS).
“In the summer of 2021, we were looking to bring Luis Diaz from Porto.
“I was working hard to get James Rodriguez to go to Porto as part of the deal that would bring Diaz to the Club, however, Rafa Benitez ruled against it because he was not sure about the player.”
Diaz has proven to be a superb signing for Liverpool and speaking last year, head coach Jurgen Klopp revealed that he “cannot stop smiling in training”.
“I didn’t know how much he enjoys training,” Klopp said.
“I had no idea. I’m not sure I ever saw anybody like that. I said before, he cannot stop smiling in training. It’s crazy. The rest, how quick he will adapt, I didn’t know that either.
“They are all happy. All the players we signed in the last few years were happy when they arrived. It’s not the worst place in the world, to be honest!
“You can see that they are flying. Luis is now here for more than two months, and it’s rare to see how much he enjoys training. It’s really cool.”
Thinking further ahead, Diaz could eventually sign for a La Liga side as the winger has revealed that his “childhood dream” was to “play for a Spanish club”.
“I would like to play for a Spanish club that has always attracted the attention of my family, but it is more of a childhood dream,” Diaz told SoHo.
“Now I only think about lifting trophies and making history with Liverpool, which is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I am very grateful for the opportunity they have given me.”
