Marco Silva has been sacked as Everton manager after 18 months in charge, following their 5-2 Merseyside derby defeat at Liverpool.
Club legend Duncan Ferguson has taken temporay charge and will lead the team against Chelsea on Saturday, but David Moyes remains the odds-on favourite to replace Silva even though the return of their former manager hasn't gone down well with Everton fans.
Many bookmakers had stopped taking bets on the 'next Premier League manager to leave' market after Everton's 5-2 Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday night.
The following day, Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri visited Finch Farm and kept the players after training to speak to them, in a clear sign that the end had come for Silva.
It took some time, but later on Thursday evening it became clear that the club had decided to sack SIlva after an unsuccessful 18 months in charge.
Silva has looked like a beaten man in recent weeks, but the club did not pull the trigger until after the game at Anfield, when the performance on the pitch descended into unacceptbale levels.
Silva won just 19 of his 53 Premier League games in charge of Everton and the club felt they needed to make a change as they face a testing fixture against Chelsea next up on Saturday as part of a nightmare run of fixtures.
Next Everton manager odds
- 1/4 David Moyes
- 8/1 Eddie Howe
- 9/1 Duncan Ferguson
- 12/1 Marcelo Gallardo
- 14/1 Rafa Benitez
Defeat to Liverpool saw Everton slip into the Premier League relegation zone, with the 14 points they've earned from the first 15 games their worst return for 16 years, when they flirted with relegation during the 2003-04 season.
After defeat at Anfield, a forlorn Silva, when questioned about his future, said: "I am not the right person to talk to you about the situation. I cannot answer to you.
"Since I joined the club and until the last day I am here I will always be 100 percent professional, giving my best every single day."
"It was a bad game for us, a really bad night. They deserved the three points, no doubt. We were not good enough."
🍬 Is David Moyes the man for @Everton if/when Marco Silva goes?
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) December 2, 2019
🎙️ @GregOK of @TheAthleticUK talks us through the managerial situation at Goodison Park...#EFC pic.twitter.com/pElFDfWioa
The final comment, 'not good enough', could well sum up Silva's entire reign at Goodison Park, with Moshiri signing off on just under £200m of investment yet still seeing his side in the relegation zone.
Everton fans became increasingly disgruntled in recent weeks, with The Athletic's Greg O'Keefe recently telling Sporting Life that he feels it's only a matter of time before Silva goes, as the relationship between manger and fans seems beyond repair.
Moyes continues to be the favourite to replace Silva in some capacity, either as a caretaker until the end of the season or in a permanent role, with O'Keefe also telling us that the former Toffees boss only wants to return to Goodison in a long-term role.
A tough night for Everton...
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 4, 2019
Marco Silva assesses the situation after defeat in #LIVEVE 🔵#PLonPrime pic.twitter.com/0VM71fpd8M
That move, though, is unable to satisfy the fans who want to see their club back among the upper echelons of the Premier League - at least challenging for a European place and certainly not fighting against relegation.
The likes of Eddie Howe, Rafa Benitez and even Pochettino have been mentioned and are also towards the top of the betting market, but Moyes is way out in front at 1/5 to make a remarkable return to Merseyside.
