Dunno if it's been said already, it's just a passing thought, but maybe he's trying to get sacked... As he has realised the mess Kenwright and Co have left through years of neglect and he's realised the team is unbalanced, lacking work rate, lacking quality in areas and aging, maybe he realises he can't fix the mess he's been left with and doesn't want to tarnish his reputation with a team he sees finishing outside the top 7.
Let's face it if he wants his 'big move' then anywhere outside of European football while at Everton and spending the money he has isn't acceptable. If he gets sacked, he gets his payoff, and if the reason he got sacked was for saying the wrong things or something out of turn a few times then his new potential employer can't fault him for his tactics and how he plays football as a manager and Southampton along with our strong start be used as his bench mark in the Premier League and he will walk into another decent job easily and say how it was unfair that he was dismissed from Everton etc over saying Barcelona was a bigger club or whatever it is next that he says.
Could be way off the mark but it's just as plausible as some of the other suggestions I've read on here lol