Marcel Brands insists he always worked with his hands tied at Everton.
The Dutchman arrived at Everton with the reputation as one of the best sporting directors in Europe before eventually being forced out.
He recalled to AD: "I wanted to install my philosophy and my structure in the club that would allow Everton to progress, but the decisions from above didn't allow it.
"In the summer of 2021 we were looking to buy Luis Daz from Porto.
"I was working hard to convince James Rodrguez to move to Porto as part of the deal that would have brought Daz, but Rafa Bentez spoke out against it because he wasn't sure about the player."
