Everton face huge decision over Roberto Martinez replacement

Everton parted company with Roberto Martinez at the beginning of May following an underwhelming campaign under the Spaniard.

The Toffees enjoyed a strong start to Martinez’s reign at the club as he guided his side to a fifth-place finish, which put them ahead of former manager David Moyes at Manchester United.

Their commitments in the Europa League appeared to affect the Merseysiders in the 2014/15 season as they slumped into the bottom half of the Premier League.

Although the Toffees had a bright start to the past term, they began to fall down the table at Christmas and failed to regain their place in the top half, ending the season in 11^th spot.

The stagnation and lack of trophies cost Martinez his position, while his side’s defending collapsed towards the end of the campaign, including a crushing 4-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Liverpool.

Everton have now begun their search for the Spaniard’s successor, with reports linking them with Frank de Boer and Sevilla’s Unai Emery, who beat Jurgen Klopp’s men in the Europa League final.

Expectations of the new man in the Goodison Park will not be overwhelming when considering the latest football betting odds at the time of writing back the Toffees at 200/1 to win the Premier League title.

The success of Leicester City has proven it can be done, but the host of new managers in the top flight will make the task even tougher than last term.

Everton’s new boss will make his top priority to convince star striker Romelu Lukaku to remain at the club, given the Belgian’s comments stating that he wants to leave.

Both prospective managers have experience of losing key players as De Boer lost Christian Eriksen, Siem de Jong, Daley Blind and Jan Vertonghen during his tenure at the Amsterdam ArenA.

Emery has likewise had problems keeping a settled team as Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo, Aleix Vidal and Carlos Bacca all departed the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in his three years at the club thus far.

The Sevilla boss has experience playing against English clubs due to his side’s exploits in Europe, both in the Champions League and Europa League.

Their consistent success in the Europa League suggests that the Spaniard would relish the opportunity to deliver trophies for Everton in England, while he has also ensured that the team has remained in the top eight of La Liga.

However, the club’s defensive record has been average during Emery’s tenure as they have conceded over 50 goals twice in his three years at the club. Although it hasn’t affected Los Rojiblancos’ position in the league, it’s an area Everton have to improve.

As a result, Emery may not be the man needed to remedy the Toffees’ issues, whereas De Boer has enjoyed excellent results during his tenure in Eredivisie, improving Ajax’s defensive record every season he was at the club.

De Boer guided the Amsterdam-based outfit to four league titles in six seasons, narrowly missing out on a fifth success on the final day of the last campaign as PSV Eindhoven snatched the crown.

The Dutchman’s experience as a world-class defender would benefit the development of Jon Stones, and solidify the Toffees at the back following their struggles at the end of the term.

Neither of the two candidates have Premier League experience, so a sign of the club’s ambition under new majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri would be to lure Manuel Pellegrini to Goodison Park.

The Chilean has already lifted the Premier League title with Manchester City as well as the Capital One Cup on two occasions.

After being cut loose by the Citizens, Pellegrini may wish to spend time away from the game, but the Toffees would be wise to do their due diligence with the 62-year-old considering his record over the course of his career.