Allardyce talks cool chances of O’Neill move

EVERTON want to reopen talks with Sam Allardyce less than two weeks after the former England manager publicly ruled himself out of the running for the job.

Allardyce has not yet spoken to Everton but has re-emerged as the leading contender to take over this week if a deal can be agreed.

The former Bolton, West Ham and Sunderland manager replaces Ireland boss Martin O’Neill as the favourite to succeed Ronald Koeman, meaning the Derryman is likely to finalise the twoyear contract extension he verbally agreed with the FAI last month.

Everton’s terrible 4-1 defeat at Southampton on Sunday has added to the sense of urgency to hire a new manager after the club had last week finally given up on trying to persuade Watford to accept £10 million (€13.3m) in compensation for their head coach Marco Silva.

Watford sent Everton a “cease and desist” letter and suggested that they would make a formal complaint to the Premier League club if they did not back off in their pursuit of Silva, who is on a two-year deal at Vicarage Road without a break clause.

Allardyce has been in the Middle East, where he attended the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. He met Everton’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri before the international break but, at that time, Silva was the first choice.

Furthermore, it appeared that Everton were only prepared to offer Allardyce a deal until the end of the season – when they may well intend to go back for Silva – but he wanted a longer-term contract and wants to employ former Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare as his assistant.

Allardyce has been out of work since leaving Crystal Palace at the end of last season, when he suggested he may be prepared to retire from football. Palace would be due compensation if he returns to another Premier League club within a year.

David Unsworth, Everton’s caretaker manager who was promoted from being U-23s coach when Koeman was sacked, will take charge of tomorrow night’s league game against West Ham United, who are now led by Everton’s former manager David Moyes. (© Daily Telegraph, London)