Everton have pulled back from the imminent appointment of Vitor Pereira, with owner Farhad Moshiri persuaded not to make ANOTHER knee jerk managerial decision.
And that means the intriguing possibility of Wayne Rooney making a return to the club where his story started is not completely dead - with the English football legend on the list of alternatives.
After another traumatic weekend at the club, where defeat by Villa brought home the now very real threat of a relegation fight, Moshiri and his backer Alisher Usmanov spoke to Pereira in Monaco.
They were impressed, even though the Portuguese coach’s most recent experience of fighting a relegation battle was with Bundesliga 2 club 1860 Munich…where he arrived in January and got them relegated in May.
But that provoked strong resistance amongst the club’s board and on the senior executive, especially given the disastrous appointment of Rafa Benitez by Moshiri and Usmanov still fresh in the mind.
And it is understood there is now a determination within the club - and backed by Moshiri - to at least explore viable alternatives to Pereira over the next 24 hours, with the idea of an interim manager now a possibility.
Those alternatives include Rooney, who was on the original shortlist of candidates, but was never formally interviewed for the role.
With Moshiri holding fire, he is likely to get that interview, if his current club Derby agree.
But Everton will cast the net wider as they use the short breathing space afforded by the owner to try to explore as many avenues as possible, amongst candidates who are currently available.
It is understood talks continued last week with the Belgian FA over an agreement with Roberto Martinez, and there will be one last contact before any appointment is made.
Frank Lampard has already been interviewed, but could be invited to speak to Usmanov and Moshiri, while two other strong candidates in Niko Kovac, the former Bayern Munich manager, and Rudi Garcia, who had real success with Lyon, will both be invited to make presentations.
The Everton board will also look at possible interim managers, pursuing a similar idea to Manchester United, who appointed the experienced Ralf Rangnick to steady their ship, and then step up into a consultancy role at the end of the season.
That could open up a chance for Rooney, however distant a prospect that is. Given Everton’s precarious position, there is a reluctance to place someone with limited experience in charge.
But alongside an interim with an appropriate CV, he could provide the boost the fans need, after a weekend of protests against Moshiri and his board.
Moshiri though, is not known for his patience in the search for a manager, after hiring six in his six years as the principal owner at Goodison.
He famously sacked Ronald Koeman and placed Sam Allardyce in charge - against the advice of his board - in what is widely accepted as the second most unpopular appointment in the club’s history, behind former Liverpool manager Benitez.
Moshiri also went against the wishes of his club and their passionate supporters in making Benitez the manager, and bruised by that experience in getting it so badly wrong, he has indicated he is at least ready to listen to other candidates beside Pereira.
The club knows though, that they must have a new manager in charge before they face Brentford in the FA Cup on February 5, because they face a full on relegation encounter with Newcastle just three days afterwards.
Lose that and they could just be a single point above the relegation zone, which means Pereira realistically remaining the favourite, with Moshiri determined to put a new man in place before the weekend.
