Everton now plan bring ex-Tottenham chief after bringing Chelsea coaches to Goodison Park

Further developments to re-structure the football strategy at Everton seemed to take another positive step today as a leading candidate for the vacant Director of Football appeared. Steve Hitchen resigned from his Technical Director role at Spurs and has been strongly linked with the position at Everton which has been empty since Marcel Brands left in December.

Matt Law and other journalists reported the link on Wednesday afternoon, as you can see below:

Spurs also confirmed Hitchen had left his role via a statement later that afternoon. It is not a mjor surprise he has left as Spurs have been remodelling their football strategy structure since Antonio Conte came in.

Fabio Paratici has come in this season and marginalised Hitchen’s role at Spurs meaning he was expected to leave at the end of the season. However, this resignation certainly opens the door for him to get another role sooner rather than later.

Steve Hitchen is in line to become next director of football at Everton

Newcastle United have also been linked with a move for Hitchen, but Everton are strong favourites as with no scouting network either at present, it would offer Hitchen a chance to really put his stamp on all areas of football strategy at Goodison Park.

Hitchen has been criticised at Spurs for bringing in failed big money transfers, such as Tanguy Ndombele and Giovanni Lo Celso who both went out on loan in January. However, if you dig a little deeper it is not as simple as that.

Both players were targeted by former boss Mauricio Pochettino in the summer of 2019, a few months later and Pochettino had left the club. As we’ve reported with Dele Alli, that manager change really affecting the playing personnel and Jose Mourinho wanted a different playing style and system to Pochettino.

Now Frank Lampard is in the manager hot seat at Everton it offers someone a massive opportunity to put their own stamp on the strategy with a young, fearless and connected English manager in charge.

Hitchen does know the Merseyside scene having worked in Liverpool’s technical department a decade ago and was integral to getting Luis Suarez to Anfield. Unlike Rafa Benitez I don’t think this across the park connection will cause such fury amongst Evertonians.

This will be an interesting story to keep tabs on as it develops, with the next transfer window a while away and immediate points a priority you would imagine it could be not a decision Farhad Moshiri and the Everton board need to rush into. However, Lampard will want to work on targets once hopefully Premier League survival is achieved so I would anticipate this role to be filled in the coming weeks.

Hitchen has the right level of experience at a similar level of club and has established links up and down the country and across the continent, it certainly would make sense to put his name into the frame for this important cog in the Everton football machine.

Is Steve Hitchen a proper replacement for Marcel Brands?