After a torrid season so far, which has seen them Everton to 19th in the Premier League table, their fans might finally have some good news to celebrate.
Indeed, the Toffees are believed to be close to getting new owners at the club, after months of unhappy protesting against their current majority owner Farhad Moshiri.
The BBC, along with other major news outlets in England, have recently reported that The Friedkin Group has reached an agreement to buy Farhad Moshiri’s majority 94% stake in Everton for a whopping fee of £400m.
It is a deal that will lead to great change for Everton, which could even include a new manager.
Everton target former England manager
According to reports, the Toffees’ new owners could replace current boss Sean Dyche with the recently departed England manager Gareth Southgate.
After failing at the final hurdle of the European Championships for the second consecutive time, the former Three Lions boss parted ways with the FA and is yet to take up a new role.
Southgate’s only club job to date is that of Middlesbrough between June 2006 and October 2009 but according to GIVEMESPORT, the new prospective Toffees owner Friedkin has ‘spoken about Southgate as an ambitious option to potentially succeed Dyche’ at Goodison Park.
Sacking the former Burnley boss seems like the easy decision for the Toffees’ potential new owners to make. They are languishing in 19th, with just one point on the board and the joint most goals conceded in the top flight, 14.
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Everton’s underlying stats – 2024/24 |
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|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Number |
PL Rank |
|
Goals |
5 |
=17th |
|
Expected goals |
6.29xG |
17th |
|
Goals conceded |
14 |
1st |
|
Expected goals against |
11.86xGA |
3rd |
|
Points |
1 |
=20th |
|
Expected points |
3.54xP |
19th |
|
Stats from Understat |
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Why Southgate would be a good appointment
The former England manager is someone who split opinion during his time at the helm of the Three Lions. Whatever your view on Southgate, who was described as “phenomenal” by journalist Mark Douglas, there is no doubt that his more pragmatic approach could be just what the Toffees could do with at the minute.
He is a great defensive coach, and that has even been pointed out by opponents in the past, as recently as Cody Gakpo ahead of the Euro 2024 semi-final.
The Netherlands winger said Southgate’s England “have a lot of quality, but they play defensively”. Given the Merseyside outfit are so leaky at the back, that defensive approach could be what they need. It got his England side results, including two Euros finals, 2020 and 2024, and a World Cup semi-final in 2018.
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Southgate’s tournament record |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2018 WC |
Euro 2020 |
2022 WC |
Euro 2024 |
|
|
Games |
7 |
7 |
5 |
7 |
|
Wins |
3 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
|
Draws |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Losses |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Goals for |
16 |
13 |
13 |
13 |
|
Goals against |
11 |
5 |
4 |
9 |
|
Tournament finish |
SF |
RU |
QF |
RU |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
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His overall record as England boss also reflects such an approach. In 102 matches at the helm for the 1966 World Cup winners, the former Middlesbrough boss conceded just 82 goals, a superb record.
However, it is not just defensive and pragmatic football that the 54-year-old would bring to the table if he took over at Goodison Park. His side has been known to form dangerous patterns of play which do have results.
Look at Luke Shaw’s goal in the Euro 2020 final, one of the high points during Southgate’s Three Lions tenure, which can be seen below. Note the maximum width on offer from the wing-backs, the way Harry Kane drops deep to drag defenders with him and create space, and the way they attack the box with crosses. They are all features of Southgate’s England.
Above all, what the former England boss was known for during his time with the national team was the superb atmosphere.
He is a superb motivator and created a positive environment designed to make players feel comfortable and keen to play for their country. The Guardian journalist Jonathan Wilson suggested during Euro 2024 that Southgate is “perhaps rather better at the management side of football management than the football”.
This sort of environment could work in the favour of Everton, and get the best out of their stars such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The Everton centre-forward has already thrived under the 54-year-old for the Three Lions. He has 11 caps and four goals to his name and was a member of the Euro 2020 squad.
If Southgate can get the striker firing in a short space of time with England, imagine what he can do for a longer amount of time at Goodison Park. It feels like he has untapped potential at the Toffees, with a superb skillset but just 70 goals in 252 games; the 54-year-old could get him, and his teammates, playing at their absolute best, in an optimal environment.
This appointment could be a stroke of genius from Freidkin, and the Toffees could keep survival hopes well and truly alive of they appoint the former England boss; a pragmatic results-getter and a genius motivator.
