Watford reject another Everton approach for Marco Silva amid tapping up allegations

Like everything else related to Everton from this summer on, even the new manager chase is taking one convoluted turn after another. Fresh from turning down an £8.5 million release for their manager Marco Silva, Watford FC have reportedly turned down another £10 million bid, according to The Telegraph.

The Portuguese manager has already expressed his interest in making the switch to the Toffees despite only being in charge for a dozen or so games at Vicarage Road, but the club are holding firm so far.

To add to the drama, the Mirror are now reporting that the Hornets could report Everton to the Premier League for tapping up allegations after the Blues have offered to more than double Silva’s wages to £3.5 million a season.

Of course, it’s unclear which part of Farhad Moshiri making official offers to Watford or potential salary details leaking to the press actually constitutes the always-vague “tapping up”. If Watford feel aggrieved, though, you can bet they’ll pitch a fit.

The developments in Everton’s courtship of Silva are discouraging. Watford are a club with a roster that could well be relegated without an excellent manager, and so the Blues only increasing their second offer by £1.5 million is foolish. The financial cost of relegation is steep, and Everton should recognize that by submitting an offer that Watford have no choice but to accept.

If Moshiri perceives Silva to be the man to fix Everton’s problem, the Toffees need to pay up. Given Watford’s stubbornness, though, it looks like the managerial search will move on, and perhaps extend into the summer with David Unsworth remaining in charge until the end of the year.

Up the fighting Rhinos?