In the last couple of days, Vitor Pereira has emerged as a favourite to take over the reins at Everton, potentially bringing an end to the managerial circus that has ensued since the sacking of Rafa Benitez. Everton are looking for their sixth permanent managerial appointment since the sacking of Roberto Martinez in 2016.
The wounds of instability are festering, causing disruption of long term vision. The next managerial appointment has to be sound and deeply analyzed before making a final decision. The Toffees are four points above the drop zone, a gigantic fall from the early uprise which saw them compete for European places at the beginning of the season.
Names such as Niko Kovac, Frank Lampard, Fabio Cannavaro and Wayne Rooney have been mentioned but at some point, it appeared Pereira was the frontrunner. As per Fabrizio Romano, the Portuguese coach flew for an interview and meet the club hierarchy to discuss the project and other technicalities before the club makes the final call over the appointment.
As per Journalist Pedro Sepulveda, Pereira was set to sign a four month deal until the end of the season with an option to extend the deal for one more season if the club wishes to. There was hardly any excitement over this news as the fans seemed rather disappointed and raging.
Everton pull back from naming Vitor Pereira as next the manager
Pereira is not a name that infused enthusiasm in the torn and grieving fan base. What has further irked the supporters is the substantial involvement of super-agent Kia Joorabchian who acts as an advisor to majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri. Previously too, Joorabchian has been an influential figure in Moshiri’s decisions and some of them have turned out to be debacles.
Furthermore, Pereira isn’t someone who has had an impressive CV in recent times. If Pereira isn’t your favoured choice, finally, there appears to be some positive news on the horizon. According to Mirror, the Royal Blues are pulling away from announcing Pereira as the new manager. Owner Moshiri has been persuaded to not make a hasty appointment.
Pereira spoke to Moshiri and backer Alisher Usmanov who were left impressed with the former Porto manager. However, there was resistance amongst the board members which has resulted in the club searching for better alternatives to Pereira.
Rooney has been brought back into the picture and could now be formally interviewed. If Derby County agrees, the former Everton player could be in line for an interview as the Toffees widen their search for a new manager.
The idea could be to appoint an interim manager and then look for a permanent appointment in the summer, which will give time to the club for hiring a Director of Football. Nonetheless, Everton searching for alternatives to Pereira seems to be a step in the right direction, at least momentarily.
Will Vitor Pereira be named as the new Everton boss?