Crooks claims Everton could lose Ancelotti without Europe
Journalist Garth Crooks believes Everton could struggle to keep hold of Carlo Ancelotti should they continue to underperform in the Premier League.
The Toffees fell to their ninth home defeat of the season against Sheffield United on Sunday, all but ruling them out of qualifying for Europe ahead of next season.
Ancelotti admitted being left embarrassed following the Blues’ loss, and having managed teams who play in Europe for most of his managerial career, his frustrations are understandable.
The Daily Mirror reported over the weekend that Real Madrid could consider bringing Ancelotti back to the Bernabeu this summer, with manager Zinedine Zidane said to be close to the exit.
Writing in his Team of the Week column for BBC Sport, Crooks claimed that Everton’s failure to qualify for Europe could see the club lose their respected coach with clubs like Madrid lurking.
Crooks wrote: “As for Everton, they can’t expect to keep a manager such as Carlo Ancelotti, when a team such as Real Madrid are sniffing and you struggle to get into Europe.”
Patience is a virtue
Though Ancelotti will have undeniably been left disappointed and frustrated by his side’s inability to qualify for Europe this season, we’d be very surprise if that was reason enough for the Italian to depart.
It was known from the start that Everton’s proposed rise to success was all a building process, with Farhad Moshiri prepared to offer Ancelotti time and resources to get the club to where they want to be eventually.
There wasn’t ever any pressure for Everton to qualify for Europe this season. It was a target, absolutely, but the club understand that as long as progress is being made and as long as the club is headed in the right direction, we can be patient.
Ancelotti might be frustrated but he has expressed time and time again that he’s in it for the long haul at Goodison Park, and whereas that could change at any moment, we’d be surprised if that was now.
Ancelotti has only brought five senior players to the club – two of whom were club recommended and not on his radar, and another who has been perennially linked with a move to Everton. Once Ancelotti has time to build his own squad on Merseyside, then he’ll likely find satisfaction as Everton manager.
In other Everton news, the Blues are in the hunt to sign proven Premier League centre-forward valued at £30million.
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