Everton insiders shocked by reported interest in Goodison appointment of former Arsenal chief Raul Sanllehi
Sources at Everton are “unaware” of any interest in former Arsenal and Barcelona figure Raul Sanllehi and “surprised” by the suggestion, the Liverpool Echo reports.
The Daily Mail had reported late on Sunday night (25 June) that the 56-year-old was being looked at for a role at Goodison Park as he has “admirers on Merseyside” with the club “in desperate need of a revamp”.
But “insiders” at Everton are reportedly “baffled” by the news, with the story thought to potentially be a result of Sanllehi’s links to agent and Farhad Moshiri favourite Kia Joorabchian.
According to the Liverpool Echo: “Talk of the 56-year-old’s name has been met with surprise by club insiders, unaware of any apparent interest, but Sanllehi’s past dealings with football advisor Kia Joorabchian – an influential figure known to have the ear of the Blues’ majority shareholder – could go a long way to explaining this particular link.”
Mystery
As with all moves behind the scenes at Everton currently it is difficult to be sure of what is going on short of official statements from the club.
And given it took 11 days when the Toffees stated there would be an update on Bill Kenwright’s future in 48 hours after his fellow board members resigned, it is not entirely clear even when such communications are made.
What role Sanllehi would theoretically be in line for on Merseyside is not clear, nor what it would mean for current director of football Kevin Thelwell.
The former Wolves and New York Red Bulls man is likely under some pressure heading into the current transfer window, having failed to sign anyone in January at a time when Sean Dyche was just coming in to rescue a badly flagging campaign with a squad that was clearly lacking.
Fans have reacted strongly against names arriving at Goodison with links to Joorabchian before, such as prior to Frank Lampard’s January 2022 appointment when Vitor Pereira appeared to be in line for the job, so this mooted move would probably not go down too well with them either.
The latest report suggests there is nothing to the Sanllehi links, although it wouldn’t be a total shock if that proved not to be the case, amid a period of flux at the club.
In other Everton news, the club have been tipped to flog a “weird” signing this summer with two clubs linked to a move.