Everton have formally offered Frank Lampard the chance to relaunch his managerial career at Goodison Park and hope to conclude contract negotiations with the 43-year-old by Sunday.
Lampard has been offered the job of succeeding Rafael Benítez as Everton manager having emerged as the club’s preferred choice following a final round of interviews in London on Friday.
Talks are now under way on the details of Lampard’s contract and the make-up of his immediate backroom team as Everton attempt to resolve their latest managerial search before Monday’s transfer deadline. The club could be in a position to confirm Lampard’s appointment on Sunday, providing talks run smoothly.
The former Chelsea and Derby manager has been out of work since being sacked at Stamford Bridge 12 months ago. He is in line to take over an Everton team that has lost 10 of its last 14 Premier League games and stands just four points above the relegation zone.
Lampard’s first game would be the FA Cup fourth round tie at home to Brentford next Saturday with a critical trip to Newcastle following in the league three days later.
Everton board members, and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, interviewed Lampard, Duncan Ferguson and Vitor Pereira on Friday as they sought to conclude another fraught and at times farcical managerial search.
An immediate move to replace Benítez with the former manager Roberto Martínez was rejected by the Royal Belgian Football Association, who refused to allow their manager to job share in a World Cup year, while Pereira gave a live television interview to defend his record after news of his anticipated appointment by Moshiri sparked a hostile reaction among some Everton fans.
Ferguson also impressed Everton’s interview panel in London and has his backers at the club. Lampard, who has been interviewed several times over the past two weeks, was told to expect an offer following the final round. He is set to become Moshiri’s sixth permanent manager in under six years after Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti and Benitez.
Everton’s owner has also gone through two directors of football in that time and the club are conducting a strategic review into their entire football operation following six years of extravagant spending for little reward.
A new midfielder is the priority before the transfer deadline with Abdoulaye Doucouré, Tom Davies and Fabian Delph all sidelined until March with injury.
