Farhad Moshiri’s attempts to lure Marco Silva from Watford are telling of an owner with ambition, though the hesitation, coupled with the lack of options available in the managerial market could mean the Merseyside outfit find themselves in a catch 22.
They’ve shown their hand in moving for Silva, though as Sam Allardyce, a touted contender for the job, confirmed to TalkSport this week, the hesitancy has meant he has declared himself out of the running for the job.
Embed from Getty ImagesEverton’s sacking of Ronald Koeman given their form was unavoidable, shelling out £140m on new players bears a degree of leniency for the first season in order to allow bedding in, but this leniency in Moshiri’s eyes, and understandably so, is applicable in Everton’s case for the transitional phase between the top-eight and the top-six. Not in precariously climbing out of the relegation zone.
In handpicking Koeman from Southampton, Moshiri believed he had found the man to spearhead Everton’s charge on changing the top-six into a top-seven. Financially backed into oblivion, comparatively in terms of Everton under Kenwright, Moshiri was expectant as to what his newly shaped squad could deliver under Koeman.
Moshiri’s expectations and aspirations for the 2017/18 season will have gradually altered as they set out on a run of three wins in 11 games, though as the Premier League approaches its notoriously hectic Christmas fixture list, Everton are without a manager, without any form of notable direction, and their recent publicised pursuit of Marco Silva has left any other candidates with the knowledge they are not Everton’s first choice.
This is a situation that can only be considered far from ideal for the Merseyside outfit, and Watford’s apparent refusal to entertain any approach for Silva, regardless of the rumoured compensation package (the latest of which sits at £10m), means Everton are caught at a crossroads. Silva’s contract at Vicarage Road contains no release clause, meaning they could launch an audacious, record-breaking bid (currently the £13m paid by Chelsea to Porto for Andre Villas-Boas) in an attempt to lure Silva to Goodison Park, though it is highly unlikely Watford would accept any offer, regardless of its financial magnitude.
In the summer, Silva’s contract with Watford will reach its half-way point to expiration, and this is likely to see an influx of interest in one of footballs hottest managerial properties. At the age of 40, Silva has an expectedly long-lasting and successful career ahead of him, and Everton’s move this month is unlikely to be the sole approach Watford will receive in the next 18 months. Though in spite of their publicised preference and pursuit in Silva, Everton remain without a manager, and each day that passes will be further irking Moshiri’s proposed plan of assailing the Premier League table and embarking on an era of unprecedented progress for Everton.
Though regardless of Moshiri’s understandable frustrations, this is a decision that Everton simply must get right. The 2017/18 season has seen clubs and squads of supposed quality lying low in the Premier League’s bottom-half; West Ham, Crystal Palace, and whilst many would consider Everton’s squad to simply be ‘too good’ to go down, stability is required to dismiss this notion entirely.
Marco Silva may remain Everton’s preferred long-term target to take over the reigns at Goodison Park throughout this season, but with Watford seemingly dismissing all approaches for their Portuguese prodigy, Moshiri must act now. The waiting game is one Everton may have to play to land Silva, though Everton require a manager instantly to halt their disastrous campaign in 2017 so far, and be it Dyche, Silva or even as ambitious as Ancelotti, this is a huge moment and decision in the development of Everton Football Club, and equally, as Everton embark on an era of supposed progress, investment and growth, this is a decision that Farhad Moshiri simply must get right.
Written by Tom Newman.
