Report: Everton made offer to Croatian manager before appointing Ancelotti
The period after Everton sacked former manager Marco Silva in early December was a wild one, with names galore being lined with the club.
There was talk of former boss David Moyes returning, old Toffees captain Mikel Arteta coming in and, of course, caretaker Duncan Ferguson taking the job on a full-time basis.
None of those came to fruition in the end, of course, with world class manager Carlo Ancelotti joining instead.
But it was interesting to see what sort of names were being linked with the club, only for them to end up with the pick of the bunch in Ancelotti.
However, one name that wasn’t really mentioned was former Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac.
According to German outlet Sport1, however, the Merseyside club actually made the Croatian an offer to become their new manager.
For Kovac, though, the approach came too soon, as he wanted to recharge his batteries after his time at the Allianz Arena.
He was actually spotted at some games watching Everton. Ultimately, though, everything worked out well for the Toffees.
Would Kovac have been a good appointment?
He probably wouldn’t have been a bad appointment by any means, but he’s certainly not on Ancelotti’s level.
He has a fine track record, having won two German Cups – one with Eintracht Frankfurt – a German Super Cup and a Bundesliga title.
But he flamed out somewhat in Munich. Ancelotti sort of did, as well, but his managerial credit goes back way further.
Everton may well have talked to Kovac, but it’s unlikely that they will have made an official offer.
In other Everton news, a summer swoop for a player Ancelotti loves looks almost nailed on.