This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Marco Silva is staring down the barrel of the exit door. The sharks are circling and moving into formation, waiting to rise to the surface and shape shift into deadly football players dressed in red at 20:15 this evening.
The narrative is set and Amazon Prime cameras are mounted in position: a defeat, particularly a heavy one, against Liverpool could well mark the end of Silva’s stint on Merseyside. A report published by The Telegraph earlier this week suggested that he is on the brink of the sack, with his substitutions and formation at Leicester City leaving senior figures incensed.
For Silva this could represent the end of a road which was supposed to be paved with glistening trophies and global endorsements during the early stages of his time in the Premier League. Failing to keep Hull City in the top flight – albeit with signs of promise that the Tigers could pull off an escape – is the former glory he has been living off ever since.
But almost three years after he moved from Portugal to England it’s difficult to understand where the “mini Mourinho” label ever emerged from.
Farhad Moshiri’s next move in the manager market, presuming that Everton will fulfil their annual obligation to go to Anfield and fail to win tonight, is surely looming on the horizon.
If you listen closely enough you’ll be able to tune into the conversations taking place within various establishments across Merseyside in the hours building up to the game, conversations that will both endorse and criticise a handful of managers from across the footballing world – from Marcelino to David Moyes.
Eddie Howe, meanwhile, will likely be watching from afar, mulling over a disappointing defeat at Crystal Palace on Tuesday evening and pondering if he will ever elevate himself onto a higher platform.
The threat of remaining entrenched in a Groundhog Day nightmare, repeatedly carrying Bournemouth to mid-table and evading the glances of an elite team, must surely be starting to take shape behind Howe’s eyes.
It’s a type of existential dread that is difficult for mere mortals to sympathise with, but it’s easy to understand why he could be feeling entitled to a fresh opportunity at a bigger club. That opportunity, however, could soon open up in the North West.
According to the Daily Mirror, Howe, a boyhood Everton fan, has been identified by Farhad Moshiri and Bill Kenwright as the top choice to replace Silva in the event of his departure.
In a managerial market that sees Mauricio Pochettino, Unai Emery and, if the concept of reality is wasted on you, Max Allegri all available as free agents, Everton fans may feel slightly underwhelmed by the prospect of appointing the Bournemouth boss.
But, when fantasy is removed from the equation and strictly realistic options are considered, if this isn’t the logical move for both club and manager then what is?
If Silva deserves an opportunity to prove himself at Everton based on a failure to secure survival with Hull and a decent couple of months at Watford, then Howe should be given the Man City job based on what he’s achieved on the south coast.
Taking any club from League One to the top flight is an achievement in itself, but Bournemouth’s consolidation of their position has been remarkable. The threat of relegation has scarcely been a threat in four seasons. Callum Wilson has blossomed into an England international. Nathan Ake, Ryan Fraser and David Brooks have been inspired signings.
Yet his name remains one that induces feelings of hastiness from supporters and that is understandable. After all, he remains an unknown quantity away from the Vitality Stadium.
A lack of experience is enough to embed doubts into the minds of both decision-makers and supporters, but he is long overdue an opportunity to manage a club of Everton’s stature, one that is willing to finance big-money signings in a bid to topple the established elite.
With both Everton and Howe seemingly stuck in a simultaneous occurrence defined by mediocrity and frustration, now is the perfect time for an amalgamation between two.
