MIRROR
Everton have sacked Frank Lampard and now are in need a new manager.
Lampard, 44, took charge of the Toffees nearly a year ago and through much strife, steered them away from relegation and won the battle to beat the drop. Unfortunately for the Goodison Park faithful, however, they’re staring into the face of second-tier football once again.
With a £500million stadium on the way and ambitions to be back on the European stage, Everton need a saviour to lift them out of a toxic rot which has supporters protesting at every match. It’s 12 days until their next fixture, a fear-inducing clash at home to Premier League leaders Arsenal, so the Toffees board have a timely opportunity to bring in a new boss and escape the dreaded drop.
With that in mind, here are six candidates to replace Lampard.
Sean Dyche
Already installed as the bookies’ favourite, Sean Dyche lost his job after 10 years at Burnley last season with just eight games to go. His departure – a hotly-debated decision from the Clarets’ new board – didn’t have the desired effect as they failed to stay up, and many believe that Burnley would’ve managed another survival push with their old statesman at the helm.
Waiting for the right time to return the dugout, Dyche has been tentatively linked with a host of openings while out of work. The image of him standing on the Goodison Park touchline feels right for plenty of neutrals, although the Everton board and fan base could view his appointment as an unambitious one – particularly given his lack of experience beyond scrapping at the bottom, barring one season in which Burnley sensationally finished seventh and competed in the Europa League qualifiers.
Doubts linger as to whether the 51-year-old’s powers are waining or whether his style of management is outdated, but make no mistake, he knows how to get out of a relegation battle.
“It’s fair to say I’ve got a decent bank of knowledge, that I think I could offer something, so therefore, I’ll have a window to wait and see,” Dyche told BBC’s Kammy & Ben’s Proper Football Podcast in September. “We’ll wait and see, but I think I’ve afforded a window to have a look and see if anyone wants to take me in the Premier League.”
Wayne Rooney
Perhaps not a fairytale appointment for every Everton fan, Wayne Rooney returning to the blue half of Merseyside would be some story. Tipped for the vacant post last January following Rafa Benitez’s sacking, the Manchester United legend surprisingly turned down an interview with the Toffees hierarchy while still in charge at Derby County.
Still, that didn’t stop Rooney from voicing his desire to one day manage his beloved Everton. “I believe I will be a Premier League manager – I believe I’m ready for that, 100 per cent,” the now D.C. United boss decalred. “And if that is with Everton one day in the future that would be absolutely great. But I’ve got a job here that I’m doing at Derby County which is an important job to me.”
Nuno Espirito Santo
Sacked by short-lived employers Tottenham Hotspur 15 months ago after a miserable start to the campaign, it feels a long time since Nuno Espirito Santo had Molineux rocking. The ex-Wolves boss is no slouch when it comes to Premier League management, achieving back-to-back seventh-place finishes before slumping to a still respectable 13th in his final season…
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