How long before Everton need a manager in place?

Since Carlo Ancelotti left Everton for Real Madrid, there has been no lack of rumours regarding his successor with the Toffees. Eddie Howe, Duncan Ferguson, Graham Potter, Maurizio Sarri, Antonio Conte, Cristophe Galtier, Rudi Garcia, Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard all made headlines somewhere, yet either Nuno Espirito Santo or Rafa Benitez have seemed most likely to get the job in recent days.

While everyone will have different opinions regarding who should next lead the club, it should’ve been quite obvious that someone needed to arrive on Merseyside as soon as possible. While the transfer window is still freshly open this summer, the best and most interesting players will want to know whose system they’ll be playing within before deciding whether to sign for Everton; the new coach, too, will want to sign the right players alongside Marcel Brands, to fit the identity and style that each is looking for.

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While it is, of course, proper and correct to act with vigilance when appointing a new manager, there is probably no need to dally and more than is necessary, either. Everton were taken aback by the sudden departure of Ancelotti and clearly do not want to rush into anything too recklessly. I respect this, and I respect wanting to set your team up with the best possible choice moving forward, between style, personality, ideology and so on.

Still, it is hard not to wonder what is being parsed out and waited on, if Nuno or Benitez is indeed the man that the club wish to have to lead the team. Should either be the choice, then let us get them on board all the sooner.

Other exciting names like Potter, Conte and Galtier have been mentioned, had they been pursued across this stretch as well? Should a deal for Nuno or Benitez fall through, Ferguson might be the simplest remedy at that point, regardless of the grumblings from some within the fan base. Everyone knows his dedication, yet his tactical acumen remains a question that some are unwilling to relent upon.

I, for one at least, find this a comfortable move to fall back on, yet I do believe that the club needs someone with personality and vision to lead the club forward. Might that be Ferguson?

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The ball of this summer window for Everton must get rolling, and without a boss leading the lads on the pitch, and dictating to the hierarchy what he needs and requires, there is little that really can be done. The boss and Brands need to be on the same page, and surely that vetting process is what is complicating the greater hiring process itself; again, I empathize.

The team is at a pivotal point in its development and the right decisions might help to further reinvigorate this club moving forward. Overthinking, however, can also be a danger. The sooner the club makes a firm, fair choice for manager, the sooner the summer window can truly open for Everton, as much as speculation will continue regardless of this managerial hunt.

Names like Denzel Dumfries of PSV, Nuno Mendes of Sporting, Rafael Leao of Milan and Daryl Dike of Orlando FC could all be used by whichever manager might come onto Merseyside, yet will all of these potential Everton bosses have these players so high on their lists? Not necessarily, which is why I am hesitant to postulate too much regarding this until a candidate has been chosen concretely.

For everything to move ahead at Everton, there needs to be stability on the pitch with a proper boss, sending a proper message to a team he has selected properly. When this day comes, we can begin in earnest to discuss which players might fit best within the new system that will surely be implemented by the new boss. Until then, we can only hope that no interesting or valuable names swap destinations that we might have previously wanted a shot at transferring for.