Cast your mind back to last month when Everton were still without a manager, and Carlo Ancelotti’s name first appeared as a target.
At first, the idea was laughed off, with plenty doubting that the Blues could lure Ancelotti, a man who has managed the biggest clubs in the world, to Goodison Park.
Then there was a drastic change. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Ancelotti met with Alisher Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri in a ‘decisive meeting’ in London, and a deal was done.
That alone was a big story in itself, but the fact that Usmanov had been part of the discussions was huge.
The Russian is not an investor at Everton, in fact, as far as we know, he has no part at the club aside from his company, USM Holdings, sponsoring the training ground.
So the fact he was part of these discussions suggested that he was either a more significant player at Everton than everyone realised, or was planning to be more involved down the line.
In some quarters it was suggested that the offer of investment and backing down the line from Usmanov would have tempted Ancelotti to buy into Everton’s ‘project’.
That appears to have now become a step closer to happening, with Usmanov revealing to the Financial Times he would ‘happily’ join his friend Moshiri at Everton.
“Yes. With great pleasure, if he asks,” he told the newspaper.
“I am thinking about my investment in this club. I cannot reject Arsenal.
“I will not leave them as a fan. But if I join Everton, then I will wear an Everton shirt, because I am a professional.
“They are going to build a new stadium. Why not the USM Arena? It is not obligatory for me to participate myself. I could just sponsor them.”
“What is the remedy for love? New love. If you think like a Muslim, who can have four wives or a harem?
“ I love Arsenal, but I failed. What can I do? But I also believe Arsenal lost something without Usmanov.”
