Former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhüttl ‘turned down an offer’ from Everton in January when they were looking for Frank Lampard’s replacement.
That’s according to Austrian journalist Peter Linden, who says his compatriot was offered the Everton job earlier this year.
The Blues were searching for a new manager in January after electing to sack Lampard on January 23rd, less than a year into the job.
He had guided Everton away from relegation last season, but the Toffees found themselves in a relegation battle again this year and they decided to act with the side 19th in the table after a loss at West Ham.
They were naturally linked with a long list of various managers in the following week before Sean Dyche was officially named as Lampard’s replacement on January 30th.
Hasenhüttl was not one of those names thrown in the mix despite him being available following his sacking at Southampton last year.
It seems, though, he may have been on the list of options being explored behind the scenes, with Linden claiming he ‘turned down an offer’ from those in charge at Goodison Park.
He makes no mention of the nature of this offer or what it entailed, or even if it was a fully fledged deal or simply an offer for talks about the position, just that it was declined by Hasenhüttl.
On the face of it, the idea seems a strange one for Everton to explore given how much Hasenhüttl’s Southampton had struggled in the last 18 months or so under his leadership.
Hiring a manager who had left his previous team in a relegation battle would have been a bold move, although given Marcelo Bielsa was also at the top of the list, perhaps there’s some credence to it.
Either way, it never happened as Hasenhüttl said no and Everton went for Dyche, a decision that has so far proven to be a very smart one indeed.
