Everton need a Pochettino level appointment

While the international break and England take precedence once again, boring the country into submission as is their nature, one Premier League club will be particularly busy.

The two-week break of the domestic calendar gives Everton sufficient time to scout out a new manager, deal with contract negotiations and get an agreement signed without having to rush through any of the vital stages.

Numerous names have already been linked with the position, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone the latest to be added to the list.

Most of those reportedly in contention, your Allardyces, Ancelottis and indeed Simeones appear to have been added by bookmakers hoping to make a quick profit. Others, though, appear more plausible.

Sean Dyche has been working wonders at Burnley and Everton would the next logical step. Thomas Tuchel is reportedly keen to get himself in the Premier League and with no top six jobs on offer; Everton and their money could be a tempting choice.

Whoever the Toffees do hire, or convince to take the position, depending on your outlook on the situation, the man must be ready for the long haul. Everton need to find themselves a Pochettino level appointment this time around.

And the phrase ‘Pochettino level appointment’ does not simply mean a talented coach. Of course that is the aim for pretty much every football club but this appointment must go beyond that.

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Everton need a man who is going to overhaul, build and truly turn them into a club that is fit for purpose, just as Pochettino has done in London.

Upon his arrival at Spurs, Pochettino he was handed free reign by Daniel Levy to reshape the club in his image.

It is a process he has undertaken with gusto, as the playing squad, training regimes, recruitment, analysis and even mind-set at the club have been revamped to suit his methods. Everton need a man who can do the same for them.

No longer can it be accepted to simply plod along and occasionally challenge the big boys. If they are to be truly ambitious under Farhad Moshiri, this is where it will start.

Any player who does not buy into the new manager’s ethos must be shipped out, post haste. If the finances are to be believed, Everton don’t have to concern themselves with recouping transfer fees quite as much as they had to in the past.

Any player that brings a negative energy, that diverts the ship off course in any manner, must be removed as quickly as possible.

So must those that are not up to the standard that is required. Pochettino’s arrival at Spurs saw numerous players departing because they were quickly identified as not fitting into the new regime.

All of this was done with minimal fuss or sentimentality, sending out a clear message that the manager was the man in charge now.

This allowed the Argentine to build a main core of players and add to it with diligent work in the transfer window and promotion of the youth prospects.

It is a process that Everton and their new manager must copy. The summer transfer window of big spending may have been a fun one for the supporters but in hindsight it was a foolish one.

It left the club with too many players who didn’t fit into a clearly defined system or plan, something that ultimately cost Ronald Koeman his job.

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From here on out, Moshiri’s money must be spent wisely with the manager’s system in mind. Signings such as Gylfi Sigurdsson, which appears to have been done as more of a marketing stunt than anything else, will need to be swiftly abandoned.

A more frugal approach must be inherited in its place. A look at Tottenham’s recruitment identifies why. Signings such as Toby Alderweireld (£10.5m), Heung min-Son (£18m) and Victor Wanyama (£11m) plus several others like Kieran Trippier (£3.5m) or Eric Dier (£4m) show that value can be had if the recruitment team is a good one.

All of this requires one thing, a manager who has a clear strategy. One who can create an ethos, playing style and identity that the club can embrace at all levels.

Recruitment, training and even the youth setup will all feed into it and nourish it, just as has happened at Spurs under Pochettino.

Make no mistake; the bones are in place for this to be done. Everton’s training facilities are good, their youth setup comfortably among the best in the country.

Even the current playing squad, bloated and unfit for purpose as some consider it, is not entirely unusable.

Indeed, much like Spurs, there is a spine there to build upon. Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane, Seamus Coleman, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Yannick Bolasie, Ross Barkley and even Gylfi Sigurdsson are all good players.

Youngsters such as Sandro Ramirez, Nikola Vlasic, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ademola Lookman and Jonjoe Kenny all have bright futures ahead of them.

A manager with a clear identity, one who is willing to improve what he has available and bide his time rather than spending his way out of trouble, has enough to work with to make something strong.

Of course, some will point out that this has been aimed at before under Roberto Martinez and failed and they would be right to do so. However, the counter argument is a simple one, Martinez simply was not good enough.

For all his virtues, the Spaniard’s identity was a flawed one from the beginning. Even in his superb first season in charge the flaws that would later bring the system crashing down were on show.

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Farhad Moshiri knows the pressure is on him, Ronald Koeman was his appointment, a man he spent big to get and it didn’t work out.

Another failed appointment, coupled with the mistakes of the transfer window, and his reign will start to look like a farcical one just two years in.

The right appointment, though, could transform the club. If Everton bide their time, do their homework and find their own Pochettino, the rewards could be staggering.

Doing so will of course be a tough proposition. Given his success at Tottenham, every club in the world is looking for their own Pochettino at this moment in time.

Everton, though, have the unique advantage of being in a position to make the change now while the others dally. Everything is already there at the club already, including a new stadium in the pipeline, for the club to be among the best.

However, it will take a little bit of patience and a Pochettino level appointment to ensure that happens. It’s up to Moshiri to make sure he gets it.