This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
According to Sky Sports, Everton have contacted former Arsenal boss Unai Emery over their vacant managerial position, and it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Sky Sports report that an informal meeting was held between the two parties in London, with the Spaniard keen to take more time before deciding on his next move given he was only sacked by the Gunners at the end of last month.
The report says that chairman Bill Kenwright and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri have drawn up a four-man shortlist to be Marco Silva’s successor, which presumably includes Emery if he is willing to change his mind and get straight back into the game – something The Athletic’s David Ornstein suggests he is ready to do should he be offered the job.
Sky Sports reported that Shanghai SIPG boss Vitor Pereira was at the top of their list, although he has now pulled out of the running.
Why Emery?
Just because the Spaniard has been sacked by a bigger Premier League club in Arsenal, it certainly doesn’t mean he is good enough for Everton – their fans on Twitter appear to agree, too.
Did he play for Everton? Simple question but a lot tougher than you think…
In his first season with the north London outfit, they should have been on course to qualify for the Champions League when they beat Newcastle on April 1 to move into third above Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the standings.
Yet they took just seven points from the remaining 21 available to finish one point outside of the top four – just two more points would have been enough to see them finish above Spurs.
They lost eight out of their 19 away matches in the top flight too, conceding 35 goals in the process.
That disappointment was followed by a disastrous display in the Europa League final against Chelsea where they were easily beaten 4-1 in Baku.
None of this takes into account this season, when he was relieved of his duties following a run of seven games without a win in all competitions – their worst run since February 1992.
Emery had no idea how to get Arsenal out of the rut that they found themselves in and looked like a beaten man for weeks. The players clearly weren’t playing for him either as they were beaten by Sheffield United and only just rescued a draw at home to relegation-threatened Southampton towards the end of his reign.
With no real identity to their play either, it is hard to fathom why Kenwright and Moshiri would see him as the man to turn around their fortunes, especially after a similarly disappointing spell under Silva.
In all honesty, they would be better off sticking with Duncan Ferguson.
In other Everton news, a high-profile 59-year-old manager has refused to rule out taking the job at Goodison Park, but there’s a catch…
