EVERTON are one of a number of clubs whose search for a new manager this summer isn’t going as smoothly as they might have hoped.

They are joined in this pickle by fellow Premier League sides Tottenham and Crystal Palace, who are yet to replace Jose Mourinho and Roy Hodgson respectively, as well as a number of clubs on the continent.

These include French Ligue 1 champions Lille whose title-winning manager Christophe Galtier has been linked with the vacancy at Everton but has long been tipped to take over at Nice.

Everton fans are still hoping Galtier chooses Merseyside over the French Riviera, and there is even more of a push for the Frenchman to be appointed after it was revealed one of the leading candidates for the Goodison job is former Liverpool head coach Rafa Benitez.

When rumoured candidate and former Everton boss David Moyes signed a new contract at West Ham, ex-Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo emerged as the favourite, with reports last weekend stating that it would only be a matter of days before an announcement was made.

That has not materialised, though, and Benitez has since become the frontrunner with an announcement expected early next week. 

The fans’ reaction to that news may make the Everton board think again. Again.

One of the problems Everton have is that of replacing someone as influential and distinguished as Carlo Ancelotti.

His name and reputation meant he had some sway when it came to signing players, almost becoming a second director of football alongside Marcel Brands.

Ancelotti was popular at Everton, though there were murmurs of discontent from fans about the style of play, especially towards the end of last season as the club stuttered to a 10th-place finish having targeted European qualification.

There was initial optimism. The Italian didn’t temper ambition as other Everton managers have in the past, and was able to attract a couple of big names — Allan and James Rodriguez — whom he had previously coached at Napoli and Real Madrid respectively.

Ultimately, that mid-table finish meant the expectations of the club, the fans and Ancelotti himself weren’t met. Everton will have also been expecting at least another season under Ancelotti, though, and his departure to Real Madrid has left them in a tricky situation.

One positive is that their best new signings last season weren’t Allan or James who joined due to the Ancelotti factor, but Ben Godfrey and Abdoulaye Doucoure. 

The latter are the type of players Everton should be able to attract regardless of the name in the dugout, and a few more of this sort of signing could improve their squad no end.

This is where having a style of play that runs throughout the club and a clear transfer market strategy comes into play.

Having a director of football should mean that, even if managers come and go, there is an element of stability beneath the surface which not only influences the type of players the club sign but also the type of manager they appoint.

This is especially important at a club like Everton which are about to appoint their sixth permanent manager in five years, but so far there is no obvious plan for continuation in the dugout.

Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti is not a smooth line of succession.

The club’s director of football, Brands, arrived in 2018 and has overseen the appointments of the last two managers in that list, even though there might also be influence from board level on these decisions.

Ancelotti was the type of manager Everton had to hire when the opportunity to do so arose, but after the lift he provided, making the club openly rather than cautiously ambitious, it will be difficult to find continuation.

Everton aren’t quite there yet when it comes to building something long term rather than having to start from scratch each time a new manager is appointed.

That said, they do have a fairly versatile squad with some genuine quality thanks to some of the signings made under Brands, including Lucas Digne, Richarlison and the aforementioned Godfrey and Doucoure.

Allan could stick around and be very useful to the new manager, and even though James only played five matches in the final few months of the season he still has the potential to be a game-changer.

The new manager will have plenty to work with and will no doubt be given funds in the transfer market this summer, too.

Everton need to decide the identity of that manager sooner rather than later while also making sure they are the right fit.

And there is much more to hiring a manager than sorting the contract with the individual in question. 

Managers often have a backroom team they like to bring with them to a new club and this can range from one trusty assistant to a whole entourage.

Then there is the issue with agents. Over in Italy Gennaro Gattuso’s move to Fiorentina this summer lasted just 23 days as the club realised they wouldn’t be able to work with the Italian’s agent, Pedro Mendes.

Mendes was lining up transfers to Fiorentina for players he represents for fees the club deemed unrealistic. 

Nuno is also part of Mendes’s agency, Gestifute, as is his replacement at Wolves, Bruno Lage. 

This may explain why Everton turned their attentions elsewhere, as it seems pointless having a director of football if transfers are going to be dictated by an agent.

A case could be made for both Nuno and Benitez, and the latter might actually be the most logical when looking to continue what Ancelotti started, though stronger cases could be made for Galtier or someone like Brighton’s Graham Potter.

Managers such as the latter pair would allow the director of football to do the job of signing players, while they incorporate them into their style of play on the pitch and also improve their game through coaching.

In this summer’s managerial minefield, Everton need to make sure they step quickly but carefully to ensure they make the right appointment going into the new season.