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Rafa Benitez says Everton promised him 'massive project' but he only had £2m to spend

Rafa Benitez believed he was signing up for a 'massive project' at Everton before discovering he only had £2million to spend on new players - but the Spaniard has no bitterness towards the club that fired him after just six months.

The former Liverpool, Newcastle United and Chelsea coach signed a three-year contract at Goodison Park to replace Carlo Ancelotti at the beginning of this season.

The Toffees won three of their first four Premier League games as anger at Benitez's appointment among the fanbase quickly dissipated.

Rafael Benitez was sacked by Everton after just six months in the job following a dreadful run
The team's form nosedived and Benitez paid the price with his job back in January

But Everton's season quickly went downhill amid injuries to key players, insufficient depth of quality in the squad and a lack of faith in Benitez's methods and tactics.