Chris Perkins rejects return to Everton, in talks to swap Tottenham job for Arsenal
Tottenham emerging talent manager Chris Perkins has rejected a return to Everton and is in talks to take up a role at Arsenal, the Daily Mail reports.
The “well revered” backroom man spent 20 months with the Toffees as head of academy recruitment between March 2020 and October 2021, after making his name at Derby.
And having become aware that he was prepared to leave Spurs, Everton sounded him out over a return with the club “keen” to bring him back to Merseyside.
But he has instead turned that chance down and looks set to jump from one side of the North London derby divide to the other.
The report in the Mail states: “Sportsmail understands that Perkins has rejected the chance of going back to Merseyside and instead is ready to take up a role at Arsenal to head up academy recruitment and will start next month.”
Missed out
He’s obviously far from the most important person who fans want to see appointed to the Everton set up right now, with Sean Dyche’s announcement as the new first team manager still yet to be made.
But clearly Perkins left a strong impression at Finch Farm in less than two years with the club, hence the eagerness to bring him back.
On the day that the most high-profile recent academy graduate made a big-money move to Newcastle in Anthony Gordon, it looks like it won’t be Perkins in charge of finding the next generation.
There are moving pieces all over the place all through the operation right now amid continuing turmoil around the club, with the managerial change coming as a result of the first team staring down relegation for a second season running.
Players are leaving without replacements yet coming in, and still the potential for an ownership chance keeps arising and being disputed.
At youth level things will need to be calmer if Everton are going to be in position to restock a squad that still doesn’t have the spending power it once did, but clearly Perkins won’t be contributing again for now.