Following the sacking of Marco Silva at Goodison Park, a number of names were linked with the Everton job.
However, few would have predicted that Carlo Ancelotti, a man used to winning Champions Leagues and titles aplenty, would be the man who would end up replacing the Portuguese.
After all, the Italian was also being sent to the Emirates at the time following Arsenal’s decision to move on from Unai Emery, but it was the Toffees who managed to convince him that he should return to the Premier League by moving to Liverpool and not London.
The appointment caught many off guard, including Roberto Di Matteo, who has been without a job since being sacked by Aston Villa in October 2016.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, he said: “When they announced the arrival of Ancelotti at Everton, I was surprised at first, but then, thinking about it, it was a logical choice. I know the owner of the club. Farhad Moshiri is ambitious. He wants to take the club to the top: Ancelotti is the right man to see out the project.
“Carlo is a ‘top’ manager in all aspects: he’s respectable, he’s never got big headed and he has a gift: patience”.
Signing a four and a half year contract with the Goodison Park club, the 61-year-old committed his long term future to the blue half of Liverpool, but has so far only managed 12 games due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In those 12, Ancelotti has overseen five wins, three draws and four losses, getting his team to score 17 goals while conceding 18.
