A couple of days ago Sport Witness published an article explaining there didn’t look anything in the Paulo Fonseca to West Brom claims, because it wasn’t even tickling interest in the Ukraine.
In October, when Fonseca had flirted with the idea of a move to England and been linked with Everton, the Ukraine press was full of stories about a potential move, with it all being taken rather more seriously.
A quick check on Tuesday shows they’re taking it all seriously again, as Everton rumours have again surfaced. But it must be said the majority of the reports seem to be motivated by a claim from Sky’s Kaveh Solhekol.
Ukraine clubs are often surprisingly open with their media, and if Shakhtar Donetsk thought Fonseca was off to Everton, there’d be someone speaking about it openly, so that’s something to keep an eye out for.
Ukraine winter break and Champions League perfect timing
Vesti, who present their article as their own information, believe Fonseca has been ‘invited’ to take the Everton job but they point out he wouldn’t be able to do so until the Champions League group stages are over.
That’s early December and, as we pointed out in October, coincides with Ukraine’s winter break: ‘For climatic reasons, the Ukraine league has a long break from early December until February, which is much longer than the summer off-season, from June until July. That means changing a manager in December would make some sense, if a change was on the way anyway, and the club would have three months to find a replacement and get him settled in, there’s even a preseason period.
Back in October that all seemed like an age off, now it’s only next week.
Fonseca has already made comments when quizzed on Everton
On October 19th, when quizzed specifically on Everton by a Portuguese newspaper, Fonseca said: “Everyone knows that my dream is to train in England and live the whole atmosphere. Seeing my name linked to Premier League clubs leaves me satisfied, of course. It is the acknowledgment of the good course that we have been carrying out.
“But at that moment I do not think about it. I’m just focused on Shakhtar, the revalidation of the titles and the attempt to have a good performance in the Champions League. These, yes, are my priorities.”
A few days later, when it was all big news in Ukraine, Fonseca told Shakhtar’s local media: “I want to put an end to this issue, and now I do not care about my future, it’s so debated that it seems to everyone that my contract ends in December. No, it expires only at the end of the season, and the time for making some decisions is still long off.”
Everton’s chances of getting Fonseca would now be much higher than they were in October, apart from the club not being as attractive now.
