Everton are closing in on No 1 target Carlo Ancelotti to become their new manager after ‘he arrived on Merseyside for talks’.
According to Sky Sports News, the Italian was present in Mersey side on Monday afternoon. He is seen by Everton‘s board as their ‘first choice’ to succeed Marco Silva.
Club icon Duncan Ferguson will take charge of a third straight game having stepped up to fill the void left after the sacking of Silva.
Ancelotti remains favourite to be the club’s next permanent boss and Sky Sports add that Ferguson would remain on the coaching staff should the 60-year-old former Chelsea boss take the job.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano tweeted news that Everton appear to have firmed up their interest by making contact with Ancelotti following his dismissal at Napoli recently.
Romano goes on to add that the decision is now down to whether Ancelotti accepts or refuses the Goodison Park role.
The club confirmed that Ferguson will lead the team for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Leicester but it remains uncertain how much longer the club legend will continue to fill in.
Ancelotti remains one of the finest and most decorated managers in world football, despite his recent struggles with Bayern Munich and Napoli.
He bowed out in Naples on the back of a 4-0 win in the Champions League against Genk, but it was the club’s poor form in Serie A – they were seventh when he was axed – and a squad mutiny with owner Aurelio de Laurentiis that cost him his job.
Everton’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri is reported to want a star name to take over and he will be attracted by the trophy cabinet Ancelotti can boast compared to a number of other names believed to be in the frame for the job.
The difficulty Moshiri and the rest of the board face is whether they hand the job to Ferguson should he continue to eek out impressive performances.
A 3-1 win against Chelsea was followed up by a 1-1 draw away to Manchester United.
Despite distancing himself from getting the job on a permanent basis, Everton are in a conundrum should Ferguson guide the club into a cup semi-final this week.
David Moyes, Mikel Arteta and Eddie Howe are other names who have been associated with the vacant position but Ancelotti, who boasts multiple Champions League titles, would be a major coup for the club.