Rafael Benitez is set to be named as Everton’s new manager on Wednesday.
Benitez will sign a three-year contract to become Carlo Ancelotti’s successor after agreeing personal terms with majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.
The Spaniard’s arrival at Goodison Park threatens to be the most controversial appointment in the club’s history due to his strong allegiances to Liverpool.
It was midway through a six-year spell in charge of the Anfield club that Benitez denigrated his new employers by referring to them as ‘a small club’.
Supporters have already made clear their dissatisfaction towards the 61-year-old which extended to a sinister banner posted near to his Merseyside home.
Police are investigating the message which warned ‘We know where you live’, despite it being left at the wrong house instead of Benitez’s actual address.
Moshiri’s decision to install Benitez as Ancelotti’s direct replacement mirrors the sequence at Real Madrid, who the Italian left Everton to rejoin this month.
His spell in the Bernabeu hot seat lasted little more than seven months before he was replaced in January 2016 by fans’ favourite Zinedine Zidane.
Ancelotti’s shock defection back to the Spanish capital on June 1 threw Everton into a state of disarray with several managerial candidates explored.
David Moyes emerged as an early favourite but his Goodison return was swiftly ruled out after signing a three-year extension to his West Ham deal.
Former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo had been expected to be given the job before the Everton hierarchy decided against making a formal offer.