Everton bid to appoint Marco Silva despite official complaint
Everton are seeking to reopen talks with Watford in an attempt to resolve the tapping-up row over Marco Silva so that they can appoint the Portuguese as their new manager.
Silva is Everton’s first choice to replace Sam Allardyce, who is expected to leave as manager today after talks with the club’s major shareholder Farhad Moshiri, but the recruitment process is complicated by their failed efforts to secure the former Watford head coach last November.
The 40-year-old was sacked by Watford two months later after a downturn in results that the club claim was due to the destabilising of Silva after an alleged illegal approach by Everton. An official complaint was made to the Premier League, who proposed mediation. It is understood that Watford officials met their Everton counterparts last month when a compensation package was proposed by the Goodison Park club. That was rejected.
There is no contractual reason why Silva could not be appointed immediately as Allardyce’s successor, but Watford would see that as strengthening their grounds for complaint to the Premier League. It is therefore in Everton’s interests to reopen talks and reach agreement over compensation with their rivals rather than allow arbitration to follow. That would only lead to Watford’s position becoming further entrenched. Theoretically, the ultimate sanction could be the deduction of points, although that is unlikely as this is a contractual issue.
Everton had been prepared to pay Watford more than £12 million to secure Silva, who did not have a break clause in his contract, after the sacking of Ronald Koeman, and a resolution to the impasse is likely to be costly. It is thought Watford would seek about £8 million. The sacking of Roberto Martínez in 2016 cost about £11 million, while Koeman is being paid some wages by Everton despite becoming the Holland coach.
Allardyce’s departure, together with backroom staff such as Sammy Lee, Craig Shakespeare and Martyn Margetson, will cost at least £6 million given that he has one season left on his contract. There will be other changes behind the scenes with Denise Barrett-Baxendale, the deputy chief executive, replacing Robert Elstone as CEO. Keith Harris is to become deputy chairman and Alexander Ryazantsev is the new chief finance and commercial officer.
Paul Joyce in the Times. That really is a shed load of wasted money. 11 million Martinez! Still paying Koeman, paying off Allardyce and now potentially paying at least, 8 million for Silva? Could get a cracking striker for that money.