Everton’s owner wants Diego Simeone to be the club’s next manager.
According to Sky Sports, the club have identified four different candidates to replace Ronald Koeman, who was sacked last month after Everton’s terrible start to the season, and Atletico Madrid manager Simeone is Farhad Moshiri’s “top target.”
Understandably, the idea of one of the world’s best managers leaving a club, where he has experienced great success, mid-way through the season to get involved in a relegation battle in the Premier League has been widely dismissed. Everton might be a club with a great history and lofty ambitions for the future, with an owner willing to pump money into the club, but there’s absolutely no way Simeone is leaving Atletico to become their new manager.
Simeone has been Atletico manager since 2011. He had two spells as a player with the club, and has led them to fantastic success during his stint in the dugout. They have reached two Champions League finals, won the Europa League, the Copa del Rey and La Liga in 2014, when they managed to pip Real Madrid and Barcelona to the title. He has a great affinity with the club and recently extended his contract to 2020.
Even in a world where David Moyes is a Premier League manager again, where someone thinks it’s a good idea to employ Robbie Savage to speak about football, Simeone isn’t going to be Everton manager. No chance. Everton’s other reported candidates for the vacant role are Sam Allardyce, David Unsworth and Marco Silva.
Unsworth has been caretaker manager since Koeman’s departure, and has done little to suggest he should be given the position on a permanent basis. Silva is unlikely to leave Watford half-way through his first season at the club. That leaves Allardyce, who has reportedly held talks with Everton. The former England manager is said to want a long-term deal with the club, who have so far only proposed the possibility of a contract until the end of the season.
Everton’s director of football Steve Walsh is reportedly backing Allardyce to be manager, with Craig Shakespeare, who worked with him at England, as his assistant. If they do opt for Allardyce, the Toffees will have to pay Crystal Palace £2m as part of a compensation package that will be triggered if he takes a managerial position before July 2018.
Everton chairman Bill Kenwright is said to be advocating Unsworth getting the role on a short-term basis, while Moshiri wants Simeone. So, the director of football wants Allardyce, the chairman wants Unsworth and the owner wants Simeone. All joking aside, Everton fans should be concerned about the situation.
All three are very different managers, with very different profiles and abilities, and there seems to be a complete lack of joined-up thinking between the three key figures at the club. There’s also a lack of connection between expectations and reality in making it known that Diego Simeone is the first-choice for the role.
The reaction hasn’t been kind:
Only Everton Football Club can be linked to both Sam Allardyce and Diego Simeone in the space of 24 hours…
— Ell Bretland (@EllBretland) November 7, 2017
Delusions of grandure. Why not be realistic. All that going for targets out of reach means is you waste time. See our search for a striker.
— Si (@sji_efc) November 7, 2017
Everton make Diego Simeone their no.1 target… pic.twitter.com/l3rfjNHpDB
— Darren (@SirDarrenM) November 7, 2017
Hahahahaha 😂 pic.twitter.com/5wNyglSz9F
— Nader (@Theman_Nads) November 7, 2017
There’s more chance of Nina Simone managing Everton than Deigo Simeone.
— Lfc Kev (@Kev1Lfc) November 7, 2017
Diego Simeone is Everton's number 1 target. Marrying Mila Kunis and winning an Oscar next year are mine but they won't fucking happen.
— Dan (@Dan23_92) November 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/coey1973/status/927878446071545856
Everton make Diego Simeone no.1 target to take over from caretaker boss David Unsworth… pic.twitter.com/AaZ8ZY4aRz
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) November 7, 2017
