Despite saying that he would be willing to take over as Everton manager if asked, Sam Allardyce has named who he thinks should replace Rafa Benitez.
The Spanish boss was sacked this weekend after the Toffees were humiliatingly beaten 2-1 by Norwich City and thus slipped further into the relegation battle.
With so many injuries and the potential lack of transfer budget, whoever takes over as manager at Goodison Park will have an almighty task on their hands.
Derby’s Wayne Rooney and current Belgium manager Roberto Martinez have both been linked with the vacancy, as well as Jose Mourinho of Roma.
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But Sam Allardyce believes that the Toffees should look no further than a manager amongst their current ranks, Duncan Ferguson.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the former West Brom boss said: “I think that he’s (Ferguson) seen so many managers come through the door since (David) Moyes, he’s learned from all them managers. Now, the only question is ‘can he handle the pressure?’
“(Being) Caretaker is fine but then if it’s full-time, you’ve got to be able to cope with that pressure and I think that his decisions to employ the people to help him along the way if he gets the job full-time, which I think he deserves, will be crucial to him and crucial to his future.
“Now, I think it’s Duncan’s time and I think he’s ready and if I can help Duncan in any way, shape or form then I’d do that because I think he’s a fantastic guy, he’s Everton through and through and maybe that’s what the club needs at the moment.”
Ferguson is currently warming the seat in the dugout for the meantime as caretaker manager, a role he thrived in before the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti in December 2019.
But if the Everton board aren’t entirely convinced by the credentials of Ferguson then Allardyce has thrown his hat into the ring and said that he is willing to try and steer the club to safety, but he would not be a long-term appointment.
Allardyce continued: “If they needed me to help them out or they felt the need, yes, I would. I wouldn’t say that would be long term because I am not sure that would be right for Everton or for me.”
However, the former England boss would certainly be an unpopular appointment amongst the Toffees faithful.
Allardyce spent just half a season at the helm of the Merseyside club before being sacked, despite finishing the season in eighth place.
His tactics and style left a lot to be desired and although the results were favourable, fans were left wanting more attacking and aggressive tactics.
It remains to be seen whether Ferguson is given the opportunity to impress again, and his current tenure with a match against Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa this weekend.
The 50-year-old will be hoping that the absences of Allan, Alex Iwobi, Fabian Delph and Tom Davies aren’t too detrimental to his team’s chances as a victory will see them go nine points clear of the relegation zone as it stands.
