Everton hire Marco Silva as manager on second attempt
Seven months after making its first move, Everton finally hired Marco Silva as manager on Thursday and highlighted his ability to deliver the kind of expansive football the Premier League club's fans crave.
The 40-year-old Portuguese coach was targeted by Everton in October following its firing of Ronald Koeman, but Silva's club at the time — Watford — refused to release him.
With his head turned by Everton's approach, Silva's relationship with Watford deteriorated and two months later — after a run of one win in 11 league matches — he was fired. But he remained on the radar of Everton, which made a successful move for Silva after releasing Sam Allardyce this month.
Silva's commitment to attacking football is likely to have played a big part in Everton's interest after fan disgruntlement at the pragmatic style of play under Allardyce.
"His vision in football, the way he is thinking about football is what we want," said Marcel Brands, Everton's recently hired director of football.
It is Silva's third Premier League job in 18 months, having joined Hull in January 2017. Although he was unable to prevent the team's relegation from the Premier League, his impact and style of play earned him another chance at Watford, where he started impressively but lost focus after Everton's initial approach.
"I know what our fans expect," Silva said, "they expect results but not only results. I want our fans to be proud when they see our team on the pitch. I want them to feel that we are committed, that we are working hard and enjoying our football because that is important as well."
Silva rose to prominence with Estoril in Portugal, which he guided from the second tier to the Europa League. It helped earn him the tag of "Mini-Mourinho," after his more illustrious compatriot.
He then had one-season spells with Sporting, where he won the Portuguese Cup, and Olympiakos, where he won the Greek league title.
Silva is known for his strong work ethic, good man-management, and his intensity on the training ground. And, more importantly for Everton fans, putting out his teams to play positive, attractive football, which Allardyce failed to do in his unpopular six-month spell at Goodison Park that brought Premier League survival but little else.
It is the start of yet another new era for Everton, which hired Brands from PSV Eindhoven on the day it released Allardyce.
"As the posters outside Goodison have proclaimed for many years, DNA is important to Everton and Evertonians," club chairman Bill Kenwright said. "It's what they instinctively search out. . In Marco and Marcel we welcome a pair of sportsmen whose statements of intent have already shown that they embrace that special quality that Evertonians look for."
Silva's first task might be to sort out the future of Wayne Rooney, who has been in discussions with DC United over a move to Major League Soccer.