Everton manager search: Two domestic double winning managers to be invited for interviews

Eight days after sacking Rafa Benitez, Everton are still in search of a new manager and have a long list of candidates. Duncan Ferguson has taken the role of a caretaker manager but given Everton’s rapid search for a new manager, it seems unlikely that the former Everton striker will remain in charge of the club until the end of the season.

Names such as Roberto Martinez, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney were circulating initially but now more names have been added to the list. Fabio Cannavaro was also an option meanwhile Vitor Pereira emerged as a frontrunner thanks to the advice from Kia Joorabchian to owner Farhad Moshiri.

Pereira is a name that hasn’t gone down too well with the supporters especially due to the Jorrabchian link. The former Porto boss was interviewed by Moshiri and his backer Alisher Usmanov and he seemed to be the favourite to take over but resistance from the board members meant that Moshiri has pulled away from naming Pereira the next manager, at least momentarily.

That was according to the Mirror, who claims that despite Moshiri being impressed with Pereira, Everton will not name him the manager immediately and continue their analysis of other managers on the list.

Everton to invite Niko Kovac and Rudi Garcia for presentations for the vacant manager role

The same report states that former Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac and former Olympique Lyon manager Rudi Garcia are also being considered. Lampard has already been interviewed and there will be one last meeting with Martinez.

The other two strong candidates are Garcia and Kovac and as per the report both will be invited for presentations. Following an impressive spell at Eintracht Frankfurt, Kovac was named the Bayern manager in 2018 and he delivered instant domestic success, winning a domestic double. However, he was sacked in the second season following a miserable spell which saw Bayern slip down to seventh position in November 2019.

Since then Kovac managed AS Monaco and has been recently relieved of his duties. Garcia has also been unemployed since leaving Lyon in summer 2021. He guided LOSC Lille to Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France in the 2010-11 season and since then has gone on to manage AS Roma, Marseille and Lyon.

Both these managers have distinct characteristics and Everton seem to be carefully evaluating them. Hasty decisions in the past have cost the Toffees horribly and a repeat at this stage is simply not affordable as it may result in relegation. Owner Moshiri needs to make a smart and calculated appointment rather than blindly trusting the advice of Joorabchian

Will Niko Kovac or Rudi Garcia become the next Everton manager?