Chris Sutton reacts to Ange Postecoglou links at Everton if Frank Lampard sacked
Chris Sutton has harboured doubts about whether Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will take the job at Everton if the situation arises.
Frank Lampard’s position at the Merseyside club has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, and Postecoglou’s name has come into consideration as a potential replacement.
While writing his column for the Daily Record (19 November, page 49), Sutton says that Postecoglou has got a “seriously impressive” CV, but he may not be willing to trade Champions League football to join a struggling Premier League side.
“There’s no doubt there is interest in Postecoglou and that will only grow. His CV is seriously impressive and at some stage, there will be a call. Would he answer it to the likes of Everton? I doubt it. I said the same a few weeks ago when it was Brighton being mentioned,” wrote Sutton for the Daily Record.
“Postecoglou will have ambitions but is he going to trade titles and the Champions League for all that uncertainty.
How many managers have Everton gone through in recent years? Even Carlo Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez couldn’t crack it there. It’s been a decade or so since their last decent finish in the Premier League.”
Borrowed time
After an exciting start to the season, it seems like the Toffees have lost their spark, and they find themselves in the same doldrums once again.
They are closer to the relegation zone once again, and any major improvement is no longer visible under Lampard. While The Toffees boss could feel that he needs more time to rebuild the squad, there’s little evidence that he could really turn it around.
The away form has been dreadful, and the Toffees are now losing games at Goodison Park as well. If the results do not improve after the World Cup, Lampard will find it really hard to continue.
Would Postecoglou be a good replacement? He has done really well in the Scottish Premiership, winning the SPFL title with Celtic last season, and could win another league title as well this term, with the Bhoys leading comfortably at the top of the table.
Brendan Rodgers has done incredibly well at Leicester after earning great success at Celtic, and Postecoglu could follow the same route if the Toffees do make an approach.
Sutton is right that the Toffees have badly underperformed in recent years, but they still have the necessary infrastructure in place for managers to succeed. It will be a different challenge, away from his comfort zone, for the Australian boss and hopefully, the club can lure him if such a situation arises.