Former Tottenham ace and pundit Jamie O’Hara has claimed that Everton should pull out all the stops to appoint Eddie Howe as the club’s new manager.
Everton were widely tipped to appoint the Merseyside-based ex-Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez to the Goodison Park dugout.
However, reports from talkSPORT have indicated that the Everton hierarchy has now scrapped those plans.
The decision comes amid widespread backlash for Everton fans and former players.
Consequentially, O’Hara name-dropped Howe as a potentially shrewd appointment:
“I don’t know if that [Benitez] is what they need. Someone like Eddie Howe would be the right fit for them,” he said on talkSPORT.
“I think he’s an Everton fan, he likes the club, he’s young and has great philosophies. That’s more where Everton should be going.”
Read Everton Verdict
A boyhood Everton fan, Howe would certainly have a passion and an affinity with the club.
However, question marks arguably remain over Howe’s managerial acumen.
He oversaw the most successful period in Bournemouth’s history, commandeering the Cherries to five successive seasons in the Premier League before an acrimonious decline in the 2019/20 season.
Everton fans may be left questioning whether Howe is the right man to steer the Toffees to loftier heights and European football, though recruitment played a noted part in Howe’s downfall.
That being said, Howe showed a strong influence on and off the pitch, leaving his mark on club culture from footballing philosophy all the way to recruitment and scouting.
Once regarded as a bright young English coach, a roll of the dice at Everton might be a shot at redemption for the boyhood Toffee that is grasped with both hands.
