Fabio Cannavaro touted as next Everton manager by Italian report
Calcio Mercato has suggested that Everton could appoint World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro as their next manager.
Rafa Benitez has only been in the Goodison Park dugout since the summer, but a run of five games without a win has left him under pressure ahead of the trip to Manchester City on Sunday.
As a previous Liverpool manager, Benitez was not a popular choice among Evertonians upon his appointment and a report in the Mirror on Thursday suggested his job was among those most at risk in the Premier League.
Italian site Calcio Mercato suggests that former China boss Cannavaro would be one “among others” in terms of candidates for the role if Benitez was sacked and that the ex-defender “cannot be excluded” from contention.
A surprise contender
There appears little in the way of concrete evidence to back up the report’s nomination of Cannavaro as Benitez’s successor and it would certainly be a surprise to see the 48-year-old arrive on Merseyside if the Spaniard was sacked.
All of Everton’s previous bosses have had experience in the English game before taking the Toffees job and their last two appointments – Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti – have had extensive managerial careers across Europe.
In comparison, Cannavaro’s experience on the touchline has come exclusively in China and Saudi Arabia, where he has achieved some success.
The Italian led Tianjin Quanjian to promotion to the Chinese Super League in 2016 and was named the country’s Coach of the Year the following year.
He then won the Chinese Super League title and the Chinese FA Cup in his second spell at Guangzhou Evergrande, leaving in September. He also had a two-game stint in charge of the China national team in 2017.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are demanding at least £30m for one of their star players.
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