Paulo Fonseca will not be joining Everton

If it was leverage he wanted, it was leverage he got.

Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca has successfully parlayed interest from Everton and West Ham United into a fresh new contract from his current club, which almost assuredly includes a raise and various bonuses.

The Portuguese coach was a coveted target of both the Blues and Hammers this summer, and has spent months listening to various overtures. In the end, he chose to return to the Ukrainian league, where, wouldn’t you know it, the biggest club has a monopoly on the success and hardware.

Fonseca enjoyed a relatively deep run in the Champions League this season, and will in all likelihood continue being coveted by teams in better leagues with bigger budgets. It’s a shame - I’m sure the Zorro hat would have played well at Finch Farm, Paulo.

While Everton would have represented a challenge for Fonseca, along with a larger pay packet, I suppose you can’t blame a man for not wanting to try his hand in a better league with better players and a better paycheck.

Wait, what?