Marco Silva's Everton future: David Moyes favourite but Toffees should be patient as perfect candidate is not there
The end seems in sight for Marco Silva, but The Athletic's Greg O'Keefe says the club's main problem is there are no suitable replacements who could unite the fans at Goodison.
David Moyes would be Everton’s first choice to replace Marco Silva if the club decide to remove their struggling manager, and although he would get a mixed reception, ideal candidates are hard to find.
We spoke to The Athletic’s Everton correspondent Greg O’Keefe to get the inside track on the managerial situation at Goodison Park, with the Toffees just one place outside the relegation zone after a heart-breaking loss at Leicester.
There’s a difficult run of fixtures coming up for Silva’s side and the Everton board may be tempted to make a switch should results continue to go against them, and it seems as though former boss Moyes is the first choice replacement – even if just on an interim basis.
Moyes, though, may be looking for something more permanent.
🍬 Is David Moyes the man for @Everton if/when Marco Silva goes?
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🎙️ @GregOK of @TheAthleticUK talks us through the managerial situation at Goodison Park...#EFC pic.twitter.com/pElFDfWioa
“Interestingly, it’s whether David Moyes wants an interim position or something permanent, and whether Everton are willing to acquiesce to that and give him something a bit more permanent,” O’Keefe told Sporting Life.
“But his name is at the top of the list should they turn to an interim manager.”
Next manager to leave odds
- 1/3 Marco Silva
- 4/1 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
- 8/1 Brendan Rodgers
- 12/1 Manuel Pellegrini | Nuno Espirito Santo | Rapplh Hasenhuttl
Patience and a cool head, though, was what The Athletic’s Everton man would like to see employed in this situation, even if it means sticking with Silva until the end of the season.
“They’ve got a very challenging run of fixtures and you could mount an argument that they’re not going to get any wins out of those games so then you are possibly in a relegation fight,” he added.
“For me it makes more sense to stick with Marco Silva until the end of the season, barring the risk of a genuine battle to stay up, then make a cool headed decision to see if he’s achieved his targets from last summer.
“Then if you say OK let’s move on, you have a new coach who can come in and have a full summer to prepare and hopefully take the club on.”
It certainly looks like the end of the line for Silva though, and O’Keefe says the biggest problem for the Everton board is that there is no obvious choice that would be universally popular with the fans.
“I don’t believe it’s gone as bad as it had got for previous managers, such as Roberto Martinez, as that was toxic towards the end of his tenure.
“It’s not that bad for Silva, but it is bad, it’s very rare you’ll see home fans joining in with away fans singing “you’re getting sacked in the morning” as they have done.
“He hasn’t lost them all but he’s lost a significant portion of the fans. It feels like we’re in the end game for Marco Silva.
“Fans want some elite manager, but unfortunately in the real world managers like that aren’t going to come here right now.
“I would suggest that you couldn’t find a candidate that would unite the fans at the moment, and that’s the challenge for the board, so I couldn’t even give you a realistic name that everyone would agree on right now.
“What I would like if for Marcel Brands, who was brought to the club with his great pedigree, to be able to do his job and select the next couch and we can all get behind him and respect his choice.”
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