Ronald Koeman is expected to be announced as Everton manager in the coming days as the replacement for sacked manager Roberto Martinez.
Koeman still has a year to run on his current contract at Southampton but the south coast club is believed to have agreed a compensation package with Everton in the region of £4 million, allowing the Dutchman to take the reins at Goodison Park.
Everton’s major shareholder Farhad Moshiri identified Koeman as his number one target and appears to have got his man. Other names linked with the vacant managerial role in the last month were Frank De Boer, Manuel Pellegrini, Unai Emery and even David Moyes.
Will the appointment of Ronald Koeman prove to be a good one?
After guiding Southampton to seventh and sixth in the last two seasons the challenge will be pushing Everton towards Champions League qualification. Koeman certainly has a wealth of managerial experience with clubs such as Ajax, Benfica, PSV, Feyenoord and Valencia.
He has tasted managerial success with Eredivisie titles and a Copa del Rey victory with Valencia but Southampton is the club that gave Koeman his opportunity in the Premier League. Southampton and Koeman have certainly won plenty of plaudits in the last two years with the way they have performed with limited resources.
Koeman’s move has led to a very angry backlash from Southampton fans and you can understand why. Fans have seen players such as Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Morgan Schneiderlin, Dejan Lovren, Calum Chambers, Nathaniel Clyne, Rickie Lambert and Jack Cork all depart the club in recent seasons. Southampton also lost previous manager Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham and Koeman to Everton is déjà vu.
Moshiri is believed to have promised Koeman significant funds to spend in the transfer market in excess of £100 million, which Southampton are simply unable to match.
This will be in addition to funds generated from the potential sales of Romelu Lukaku and John Stones who are two players Everton are most at risk of losing. Koeman will certainly try to talk them into remaining at Goodison Park and Everton are also believed to be offering a new deal to Ross Barkley to starve off a potential raid.
The cynics will certainly argue Koeman has made the move strictly for financial reasons. Some reports suggest Everton will more than double Koeman’s current wages to around £6 million a season. The Dutchman is leaving Southampton at a time when they have not only had their best finish in the Premier League but with European football awaiting next season.
Everton fans have been starved of success for a long time. While Everton were one of the powerhouse clubs in the 1980s and have a long and proud history they have not won silverware since the 1995 FA Cup.
Can Ronald Koeman return Everton to the glory days?
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