Sam Allardyce will leave Everton within 24 hours

Sam Allardyce will leave Everton within the next 24 hours, according to widespread media reports including Sky Sports News.

Allardyce is scheduled to meet Everton’s major shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, following which his departure is expected to be announced. Allardyce is six months into the 18-month contract he secured in November and oversaw an eighth-place finish in the Premier League. But fierce opposition to his management style among the club’s supporters, allied to the hierarchy’s desire for a fresh start following a dreadful season, is likely to result in the 63-year-old leaving with a final year’s pay-off of around £6m.

Former Watford and Hull City manager Marco Silva is the leading candidate to replace Allardyce, having been Moshiri’s preferred appointment when he sacked Ronald Koeman on 23 October.