Nobody will ever replace Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. That much is simple.
His 38 trophies is a record that few will ever come close to, let alone challenge, and his name will forever be synonymous with his beloved Red Devils. But the show must go on and David Moyes has been handed the unenviable task of taking the reins from, perhaps, the greatest of all-time. Whether or not the Scotsman will be up for the challenge remains to be seen.
Lost in all of this talk of succession at Manchester United is the matter of the glaring void left at the blue side of the Mersey.
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When David Moyes leaves Everton on June 30, it will be at the conclusion of his 11th season at Goodison Park. Only Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are more tenured than Moyes in the English top-flight. In his years at the helm of the Toffees, Moyes has used Everton’s modest means to lead the club to four European appearances (including a Champions League spot in 2005 and the chance for a Europa place next season) and an FA Cup final in 2009.
Players such as Wayne Rooney and Jack Rodwell emerged from the Everton academy under Moyes’s watch, while the likes of Leighton Baines, Joleon Lescott, Leon Osman and Phil Jagielka developed into internationals with his guidance.
While Moyes has giant shoes to fill at Old Trafford come next season, his heir at Everton will have a sterling legacy of his own to compete with in order to provide the Toffees the level of success and stability that has become Moyes’s hallmark.
It would behoove Everton to name a replacement quickly in order to make the transition as seamless as possible. Chairman Bill Kenwright and his board are undoubtedly already short-listing possible candidates to succeed Moyes and there are some quality gaffers who could be in line for an interview.
By virtue of blowing a late lead and slumping to a 3-2 loss at home to Swansea on Tuesday, Wigan Athletic look poised to be the third and final team relegated into the Championship following Reading and QPR. Though Roberto Martinez’s squad seemingly find themselves in a late relegation battle annually, it appears that this will be the year that the Spaniard’s magic ability to keep his side in the Premiership finally runs out.
It comes as no surprise, then, that Martinez is being touted as an early favourite for the Everton job. Adept at working with limited funds and a fierce supporter of his players, Martinez has quickly gained a reputation as one of the rising managerial stars in English football and moving to a club the size of Everton would be a logical next step.
But Martinez’s loyalty extends past his players and to his club itself. Last summer, Martinez declined the opportunity to even interview for the Liverpool position out of respect for Wigan, so the possibility of rejecting Everton’s overtures certainly exists. The difference now, though, is that Wigan will most likely be a Championship side next season and Everton represents the potential for Martinez to continue on with life as a Premiership manager.
Another name in the mix is Martinez’s counterpart from Tuesday’s match in Swansea’s Michael Laudrup. In his first season at the Liberty Stadium after Brendan Rodgers’ departure to Liverpool, Laudrup has been a revelation, leading the Swans to the League Cup this season, their first ever major trophy. With rumours of some Europe’s biggest clubs sniffing around the Dane, it was an inevitability that Everton’s name would come up in the scuttlebutt, but all indications are that Laudrup intends to stay in Wales. Still, that could change for the right price and opportunity.
Malky MacKay, manager of recently promoted Cardiff City, and former Manchester City and QPR gaffer Mark Hughes could also find themselves getting a phone call from Kenwright, as could the soon-to-depart interim Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez –but his history with Liverpool will likely prevent talks from getting past the exploratory stage.
Even though it is imperative for Everton to act quickly, this is a decision that cannot be made hastily and due diligence will be done. The last thing Everton needs in replacing a manager as tenured as Moyes is to make an ill-advised misstep with a new hire.
With the familiar sight of Alex Ferguson replaced by David Moyes on the Old Trafford touchline and the likely return of Jose Mourinho to Chelsea, this could be the summer of the most significant management overhaul in the history of the Premiership. And Everton will gladly allow Manchester United and the Special One to grab the lion’s share of the spotlight because headlines aren’t the aim currently at Goodison Park.
In plucking Moyes from Division One side Preston North End in 2002, the Toffees proved that the best man for the job didn’t need to be the biggest name. Everton, once again, won’t turn to the biggest name out there, but just as it didn’t 11 years ago, that won’t matter as long as it’s the right name.
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