Following the departure of Rafael Benitez, Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is now on the hunt to find his replacement. But who are the board directors looking at to take the team forward?
1. Roberto Martinez
Embed from Getty ImagesWill the Toffees be tempted to welcome back a former employee in Martinez? The 48-year old had a three-year spell at the club from 2013 to 2016, guiding them to the semi-finals of both the League Cup and FA Cup. Everton also finished 5th in his first season in charge.
Even though his first season brought success, the scene was far from convincing, as the Toffees were just five points above the relegation zone. In the Europa League, they advanced to the Round of 16 but were beaten 6-4 on aggregate by Dynamo Kyiv. However, in May 2016, Everton was consistently finishing in 11th place, and Martinez was sacked by the club, following back-to-back defeats by Leicester City and Sunderland.
After his spell at Goodison Park, the Spaniard went on to become Head Coach of the Belgian National Team. Martinez guided the Belgians to a third-place finish in the 2018 World Cup, followed by the top spot in the FIFA world rankings. Belgium also reached the quarter-final of Euro 2020 but was beaten by eventual winners in Italy.
However, reports say that the Belgian FA wants Martinez to keep his position as the Head Coach of the national team for Qatar 2022, so the move to Goodison may be for an interim role only.
Will the Toffees be able to accept this offer, or will they choose a more permanent option?
2. Duncan Ferguson
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile the club is in search of a new manager, assistant coach Duncan Ferguson is expected to be in charge of the team until the club finds a replacement.
The former Toffees striker was brought in as interim manager following Marcos Silva’s departure in December 2019. He managed to pull them out of the relegation zone, before becoming assistant to Carlo Ancelotti and then Benitez, will he be able to rejuvenate the squad and get back to winning ways?
3. Wayne Rooney
Embed from Getty ImagesPerhaps the club may look at bringing one of their boyhood heroes back into the manager’s seat. It was 19 years ago when a 16-year-old burst onto the scene at Goodison.
Embed from Getty ImagesEverton was the platform that saw the beginning of a freckled teenager go on to be England’s greatest ever goalscorer. Although the 38-year-old went on to spend the majority of his career at Old Trafford, Goodison Park was his birthplace as a footballer. Combining his two spells at the club, he scored a total of 25 goals in 98 appearances for the club.
Embed from Getty ImagesAs far as his career as a manager goes, he was appointed by Derby County as interim Player/Manager in 2020. He was the made permanent manager after leading them to safety. During his two years thus far at the club, the 36-year old has had his doubters at the club, particularly with the team being involved in successive relegation battles in the Championship. To make matters worse, the club also had a 21-point deduction for administration issues.
4. Frank Lampard
Embed from Getty ImagesWould the Toffees be interested in hiring the former Chelsea man? Since being sacked by Chelsea at the beginning of 2021, the 43-year old is still looking for his next job in football management. He started his managerial career at Derby in 2018/19, where he guided them to the Championship Play-Off final, where they were defeated by Aston Villa.
Seeing his progress at the Championship side, he was welcomed back at Stamford Bridge, to take over from Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea. His first season in charge proved to be a successful one as The Blues reached the final of the FA Cup and finished fourth in the Premier League.
However, when the club decided to spend big in the summer, the Blues were top of the League by December, but a poor run of results against the top six was one of the main reasons behind his removal from the job. The other reason was based on disagreements with Chelsea’s Transfer Window policy. Since then, he has been searching for his next job in football management. Will the Toffees be keen to give him the role at Goodison Park?
5. Nuno Espirito Santo
Embed from Getty ImagesLast but not least is the ex-Spurs Boss. Daniel Levy originally hired him for a permanent role at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, His stint at the North London club got off to the perfect start against champions Manchester City and achieved three wins from their first three games equaled the club’s best start to a season. He also became Manager of the Month for August 2021.
However, after such a promising start to the season, the team had begun to lose ground with their progress, and four defeats in six games, saw him get the boot from the club.
During his time at Molineux, Wolverhampton Wanderers finished in the top six in three consecutive years after he guided them to automatic promotion from the Championship in 2017-18 by winning it
So, these are the top five candidates. Who will the Toffees choose as their new boss?
Find out on World in Sport.
