David Moyes is set to return to Everton, rejoining the club he managed he managed for 11 years. Moyes, 56, was last night on the brink of a return to Goodison Park, having left to take over at Manchester United six years ago.Everton sacked Marco Silva last week after a dismal run of form, and Moyes
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David Moyes back in the frame at Everton
Moyes’s reputation was greatly enhanced by his time at Everton before leaving for United in 2013 EPA
David Moyes could return to Everton, rejoining the club he managed for 11 years.
Moyes, 56, was on the brink of coming back to Goodison Park as the club looked for a short-term solution to their managerial vacancy.
Everton sacked Marco Silva last week after a dismal run of form, and Moyes has been available since leaving West Ham at the end of the 2017-2018 season, when he steered them to Premier League safety but was still replaced by Manuel Pellegrini.
It was not clear last night whether Moyes, who left Everton to take over at Manchester United six years ago, will be appointed initially on an interim basis with the possibility of the role becoming permanent if he makes a successful start, or whether he would be given the job on a longer-term contract.
The Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has taken personal charge of the recruitment of Silva’s successor, having put Duncan Ferguson in caretaker control of the team for last weekend’s rousing 3-1 win over Chelsea.
Ferguson, a favourite with the Goodison Park faithful, played under Moyes during the latter’s previous spell in charge. Moshiri decided to prepare an offer for Moyes after it emerged yesterday that another potential target Vítor Pereira, a Portuguese manager working in China, was no longer being considered.
Moshiri, who took control of the club in 2016, may yet decide to make Moyes’s appointment short-term and continue the pursuit of a leading European coach.
Carlo Ancelotti, the former Chelsea manager, was last night sacked by Napoli just hours after leading them to the last 16 of the Champions League, and Moshiri is likely to be keen to check whether he may now be available.
Moyes left Everton for Manchester United in 2013 after 11 years at Goodison Park and, while his reappointment would not be universally embraced, he will feel he can win round those supporters who would be sceptical.
While Moyes enjoys a close relationship with the chairman Bill Kenwright after his first spell at the club, it is Moshiri who has overseen the task of replacing Silva.
Moyes has been out of work since his six-month contract at West Ham United expired in May last year. He took over when the club was in the relegation zone and guided them to 13th to re-establish credentials after a tumultuous period in which he was sacked by Manchester United and Real Sociedad.
He resigned from Sunderland after their relegation from the Premier League in May 2017 after just one season in charge at the Stadium of Light. It was the first times Moyes had been relegated in his managerial career.
Pereira had been offered a new contract by Shanghai SIPG, who are ready to increase his salary from around £19.4 million-a-year to £25million-a-year.
Despite impressing in an interview with Everton, the 51-year-old Portuguese is set to remain in China.
“At this point, I am still the coach of SIPG a club close to my heart in a country that is growing immensely in football,” he told Sky Sports News.
Ancelotti’s sacking came less than three hours after his side’s progression to the last 16 of the Champions League — a victory that ended a nine-game winless run.
Last month the former Chelsea head coach and his squad were in dispute with the president Aurelio de Laurentiis after he ordered the team to attend a week-long training camp. Instead Ancelotti, who won the Premier League and FA Cup double with Chelsea in 2009-10, and his players returned home.
He is one of only three managers to win three European Cups/Champions Leagues — along with Liverpool legend Bob Paisley and the Real Madrid coach Zinédine Zidane.
He said after the win over Genk: “I’ll speak to president De Laurentiis tomorrow and we’ll make the best decision for Napoli.
“As far as I’m concerned, with certain players coming back and the right conditions in place, this team can still target fourth place.
“The win tonight is a weight off our shoulders and can give the players a big boost for the future.”
