Frank Lampard to arrive at Finch Farm, Everton to appoint new manager within 24 hours
Everton are expected to wrap up a deal to appoint Frank Lampard as their new manager by the end of play today (Sunday), according to Vinnie O’Connor.
The Sky Sports journalist reports that the former Derby and Chelsea manager has been formally offered the job to succeed Rafa Benitez in the Goodison Park hotseat.
It is understood that contracts have been put together and Lampard, 43, could arrive at Everton’s Finch Farm training ground either today or tomorrow.
“It could be tomorrow (Sunday) or it could be Monday when Frank Lampard finally makes his way through the gates here at Finch Farm for the first time as the new Everton manager,” said O’Connor from outside of Finch Farm in a video clip on Sky Sports’ Transfer Centre on Saturday night [29 January, 11:05pm].
“The fact of the matter is that Frank Lampard has now been formally offered the Everton manager’s job. Contracts were being drawn up this afternoon (Saturday) and it’s expected the deal will be completed in less than 24 hours from now.”
Underwhelming
Everton’s search for a new manager has been a complete and utter farce from the very beginning.
Firstly, Rafa Benitez should never have been hired with it being made clear by fans in the summer that they will never warm to the former Liverpool manager.
And secondly, the shortlist of options to replace Benitez have been nothing short of underwhelming.
One good thing about hiring Lampard is that he’s not Vitor Pereira.
While Pereira has far more experience and has won more trophies in his career as a manager, the former Fenerbahce and Porto manager has a reputation as a journeyman and his work in Germany and Turkey massively puts us off.
Lampard did a great job at Derby and didn’t do badly at Chelsea either. You could argue that he lay the foundations for Thomas Tuchel to take that side and win the Champions League with it.
However, Lampard has been overlooked by worse Premier League teams than Everton when they’ve been without a manager and you have to feel as though there were better options out there for the Blues to hire.
Still, it’s the least worst decision we suppose.
In other Everton news, the Blues are in talks over the last-gasp signing this player for £108,000-a-week.