Yesterday afternoon Everton F.C. released a statement announcing that manager Frank Lampard had been let go after a string of bad results that have left the club 19 th in the Premier League, level on points with bottom of the table Southampton.
Lampard’s sacking came after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to relegation rivals West Ham on Saturday afternoon. This was Everton’s eleventh loss of the season in only 20 matches.
The Toffees managed just three league wins before Lampard’s departure giving him a win rate of only 15% this season, the worst of any manager in the league.
Here is a run-down on the top five candidates to replace Frank Lampard as Everton boss:
Marcelo Bielsa
The former Leeds United manager is seen as the frontrunner for the job. The Argentine coach is reportedly viewed by Everton as their number one choice to replace Lampard as they have hopes that he can revitalise Everton similarly to the way he did to Leeds.
In 2021 Bielsa brought Leeds from the Championship to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years. He instantly became a fan favourite at Elland Road and despite being sacked in February 2022, his name was still sung out by Leeds fans for weeks after.
Bielsa brought about the rise of players such as Kalvin Phillips who, last summer, scored a £42 million move to Manchester City.
After Bielsa’s sacking, Phillips thanked him by saying, “you saw in me what I didn’t even see in myself”.
Sean Dyche
The former Burnley manager is a big favourite for the role of Everton boss. Dyche was in charge of Burnley for ten years before being sacked in April 2022.
A legend of that club, Dyche brought them up to the Premier League in 2014 and then again in 2016 and kept them there for six years. He achieved Burnley’s highest top flight finish since 1974 when he guided them to 7th place in the 2018/19 season, earning them a Europa League spot for the first time in 51 years.
Despite being in the relegation zone in the final few weeks of the league season, his sacking came as a shock to a lot of pundits with Jamie Carragher labelling it a “joke”. Before his departure, Dyche was the longest serving manager in the Premier League.
Duncan Ferguson
Already an Everton legend, former player Ferguson is up for the permanent role. The Scotsman had two spells at Everton, helping them win the FA Cup in 1995 and competing in the UEFA Champions League qualifying stages in 2005.
He scored 60 goals in 239 games for the Toffees in the Premier League. He also has had two stints as Everton’s caretaker manager in 2019 and 2022.
Ferguson filled in after Marco Silva’s sacking until Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival and then again after the sacking of Rafael Benitez before reverting back to assistant manager for Frank Lampard.
At the end of last season, Ferguson made the decision to leave Everton to pursue other roles in management. However, he has not found a club since.
Marcelino García Toral
Currently without a job, Marcelino is in the running for the role of Everton head coach. Most recently, he took charge of Athletic Bilbao for 75 games between January 2021 and June 2022. He averaged 1.79 points per game.
His longest managerial stint was at Villareal where he took charge of 177 games between January 2013 and August 2016. He also took charge of Sevilla and Valencia.
If Marcelino was appointed at Everton, this would be his first managerial role outside of Spain.
He has won La Liga best coach twice after guiding Valencia to Champions League football in 2018, while winning them the Copa del Rey the following season and again in 2007 after finishing 8th in La Liga with Recreativo de Huelva.
Wayne Rooney
An outside shout to take the helm at Goodison Park is former player Wayne Rooney. He had two spells at Everton once as a teenager before his big move to Manchester United and then again towards the end of his playing career.
Rooney is Manchester United’s all-time top scorer along with the Premier League’s second all-time top scorer and England’s joint top scorer.
He scored 28 goals across 117 games for Everton, where he began his playing career.
Rooney made his managerial debut for Derby County when he took over as caretaker manager in November 2020 before landing the permanent role in January 2021. He oversaw 84 for Derby during a club crisis that included a 21-point deduction for breaching fair play rules.
He left the club at the end of the 2021/22 season and became the D.C. United boss in the MLS where he currently resides.
Whoever ends up taking charge at Everton will have a tough end to the season as they try to
haul the Toffees out of a relegation battle.
Colum Motheway
Image Credit: Getty