This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
The Merseyside derby is set to take place on Wednesday evening in a game that could be Marco Silva’s last in the Everton dugout.
With his departure seemingly looming on the horizon, speculation regarding his replacement is beginning to run rife in the media.
What’s the word?
The pressure on Silva’s shoulders is seemingly at breaking point and there is a feeling of inevitability surrounding his future, with The Telegraph suggesting he is on the brink of being sacked.
Unless the Toffees manage to clinch a victory at Anfield, something they haven’t managed since 1999, it seems difficult to fathom a scenario in which the Portuguese manager is still in charge against Chelsea on Saturday.
As that feeling begins to become deeply entrenched in the mainstream media, the subject of who should actually make the call on Silva’s successor has emerged.
Bill Kenwright, Farhad Moshiri and Marcel Brands are three of the most prominent figures in the public eye but it is the latter who Phil McNulty believes should be making the final call.
McNulty, the chief football writer at the BBC, had this to say in his column:
‘Is it (the person tasked with appointing a replacement) director of football Marcel Brands, now on the club’s board and placed in charge of all football strategy?
‘This description alone suggests the Dutchman lured from PSV Eindhoven must call the shots and Moshiri should simply have the sign off.
‘Brands is the man with the global contacts book, the networking reputation. If Everton, as everyone suspects, want a new manager then his job description suggests he should be providing the name.’
Time to prove his credentials
There is plenty of intrigue surrounding Brands’ role at the club and how far he can revolutionise the club.
The ambition Everton have shown in the transfer market since he became the club’s director of football has been one of the most defining aspects of his time at Goodison Park, but Silva’s looming exit will provide him with the biggest challenge so far.
With Leicester City flying high in 2nd place, Wolves six points off a Champions League place and Arsenal and Man United languishing in 8th and 9th place respectively, the Premier League has been blown wide open this season.
It’s at this very juncture that Everton need to lay the foundation for a bright future, one which could see the club elevate into the top six and fulfil Moshiri’s vision for the club of competing regularly in the Champions League, and, as McNulty suggests, that basis for success must be constructed by the former PSV Eindhoven sporting director; his job description requires that much.
If Silva is dismissed from his post this week, Brands must take responsibility for deciding his successor.