Report: Benitez arrival has impacted £15m Everton transfer, was advancing well under Ancelotti

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According to Record, Rafa Benitez’s arrival at Everton has negatively affected the club’s pursuit of Sporting Lisbon’s Matheus Nunes.

What’s the story?

Well, the Portuguese news outlet believe talks over an €18m (£15m) deal for the Brazilian have slowed down after Benitez arrived at Goodison Park.

Record claim that discussions are ongoing between Everton and Sporting Lisbon despite Carlo Ancelotti’s departure to Real Madrid.

However, talks are moving with ‘less gas’ than there was before.

Record add that it’s likely Nunes will now join another club.

When Ancelotti was in charge, Record believe the 22-year-old was very close to moving to Merseyside.

Now, the deal looks to be slowing down, although that was to be expected.

This was bound to happen

Given the sudden nature of Ancelotti’s exit, things like this were bound to happen.

You would presume that Marcel Brands and Ancelotti had identified their preferred targets, and were going out to sign them.

Now, Benitez has arrived, and will surely have his own ideas about recruitment and which players he feels Everton need.

In that respect, negotiations from Ancelotti’s reign were always going to be affected once the management had changed hands.

It’s not a big deal, in our view.

There’s no point in continuing talks to sign a player Benitez isn’t as enthused about, presuming that’s the reason talks have slowed down.

Hopefully, Benitez has identified his own targets, and Brands is working to ensure they arrive at Goodison Park as soon as possible.