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It is no longer news that Everton are searching for a new manager, having parted ways with Marco Silva following a disastrous start to the campaign. The 42-year-old was heavily courted by the Toffees after impressive work with Sporting Lisbon and Watford, finishing his first campaign on Merseyside in an underwhelming eighth-place.
Everton spent heavily over the summer - just over £100m - recruiting players including Moise Kean and Alex Iwobi, with many critics expecting they would make a charge for a top-four finish and bridge the gap between themselves and the league's top clubs.
However, injuries and poor form combined to ensure Silva struggled motivating the talented players at his disposal. They lost nine of their first 15 Premier League matches, including four successive games, which saw them drop into the relegation zone. Less than 18 months into his tenure, the club felt they had no option but to sack him.
The search for a new manager begins
In the immediate aftermath of Silva's sacking, Everton announced former player Duncan Ferguson would take charge in the interim. The 47-year-old got the club back to winning ways in his first game this past weekend, inspiring the Blues to a 3-1 win over Chelsea to lift them away from the relegation one.
With that being said, this is his first managerial spell and they are understandably reluctant to make his stint a permanent one. Reports by Daily Mail suggest that they have drawn up a list of potential successors including former manager David Moyes, Bournemouth's Eddie Howe, and the much revered German tactician Ralph Rangnick.
However, it is believed that Portuguese boss Vitor Pereira is the prime name on their list and the club's hierarchy are in talks to get him over to England; six years after he had been interviewed for the job following David Moyes' departure in 2013.
The 51-year-old currently manages Shanghai SIPG in the Chinese Super League, where he has won two major honours since his appointment in December 2017. Pereira had previously coached sides including Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia, Olympiakos and Porto, with whom he won consecutive domestic league titles in 2012 and 2013.
However under his watch more recently, 1860 Munich suffered relegation from the Bundesliga in 2017 and it's unknown whether he'd be willing to accept an offer to make the foray into the turbulent, unforgiving world of management in England's top-flight.
