The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Ancelotti says ambition of Everton drew him to club
MANAGER: Tradition and atmosphere also key factors, Italian reveals
Carlo Ancelotti said Everton’s ambition for the future attracted him to the club.
The 60-year-old Italian signed a four-and-a-half-year deal to become Everton’s permanent new manager on Saturday.
“The biggest factor was the ambition of the club, the history that this club has, the tradition, the atmosphere of the supporters,” Ancelotti said.
“Also, the fact this club wants to improve. We want to be a better team, we want to compete. These were the reasons I decided to come here.”
Ancelotti, sacked by Napoli earlier this month despite leading them to the knockout stage of the Champions League, is one of only three managers to have won Europe’s elite competition three times, with Liverpool’s Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) the others.
“It’s not true that I only manage top teams. At the beginning (Reggiana) and then after I managed Parma, that was not a top team.
“I like a team that has ambition and a clear idea how to reach success,” he said.
Everton, whose first game under Ancelotti is at Goodison on Boxing Day, are in the process of submitting a planning application for their new 52,000-seater Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium.
Ancelotti, who won the Premier League and FA Cup double with Chelsea in 2010 in his only previous managerial stint in England, would not be drawn on the sums of money that might be available for the January transfer window.
But he gave Toffees fans an idea of the calibre of players he could attract when joking about contacting Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a good friend of mine,” Ancelotti said. “He was my player.
“Fortunately I have trained a lot of fantastic players.
“But Ibrahimovic has finished his period in the United States and I don’t know what is his idea.
“I have to call him. Maybe I’ll call him and (ask) if he wants to come to Liverpool to enjoy – but not to play.”
Ancelotti said he was excited about teaming up with Italy striker Moise Kean, who he tried to sign at Napoli in the summer before the teenager opted for Everton.
He paid tribute to Duncan Ferguson for his role as caretaker boss following Marco Silva’s dismissal on December 6.
“I met Duncan after the (Arsenal) game.
“He will be my assistant,” Ancelotti added. “He’s really important for me.
“Duncan knows really well the characteristics of the players and the atmosphere at the training ground. It will be really helpful.”