Report: Marcel Brands edges closer to new contract at Everton
Director of Football Marcel Brands is edging closer to signing a new contract with Everton, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The Dutchman’s current contract is set to expire at the end of May, however an extension to the initial three-year deal appears imminent.
The Liverpool Echo report that terms are now being finalised, although the length of the extension hasn’t been made clear.
Brands succeeded Steve Walsh in the role of Everton’s Director of Football when he joined the club in May 2018, leaving Dutch outfit PSV to move to Merseyside.
The 58-year old has spearheaded negotiations for some of Everton’s most impressive signings in recent years, such as James Rodriguez, Allan and Moise Kean.
Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti previously underlined the importance of the relationship between himself and Brands, telling evertonfc.com that the Dutchman was “a pleasure to work with”.
Partnership made in heaven
Though Ancelotti and Brands have only had just over a year to cultivate a strong working relationship, the duo already seem to be on the same page.
Last summer, we reaped the rewards of said relationship, with Ancelotti naming his targets and Brands ensuring that the Toffees landed them, mostly for a cut-price.
Transfermarkt report that the combined fees of Allan, Ben Godfrey, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Niels Nkounkou add up to a little over £60million, while Brands himself confirmed that James Rodriguez joined Everton on a free transfer.
Given Ancelotti’s calibre as both a coach and a former player, the Italian was always likely to attract better players to the club, but Brands has to work hard to make those deals affordable enough to enable the Blues to compete in the transfer market.
With Brands set to commit his future to Everton, it can only be a positive that this relationship between manager and director is set to continue, particularly as we’re looking good to qualify for Europe ahead of next season.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are said to be courting Roma centre-back Gianluca Mancini ahead of the summer transfer window.