It’s been more than a week since Everton parted company with Rafa Benitez and names such as Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Fabio Cannavaro have been at the forefront of the Toffees’ seventh managerial hunt in five and a half years.
And the ECHO understands Portuguese coach Vitor Pereira is a possible candidate alongside Lampard and Rooney.
But who is the 53-year-old?
Born in Espinho, Pereira enjoyed a playing career as a midfielder in the amateur ranks of Portuguese football before retiring at the age of 28.
After hanging up his boots, Pereira ventured into junior management, working at a host of clubs including A.D. Sanjoanense, S.C. Espinho, and C.D. Santa Clara.
In 2010, Everton’s potential new boss left Santa Clara to join serial champions Porto as assistant manager to André Villas-Boas.
Following Villas-Boas’ appointment at Chelsea in 2011, Pereira succeeded his countryman as head coach of the Portuguese giants.
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He made an impressive start to his tenure at Porto, defeating Vitoria de Guimaraes in his first game in charge to win the Portuguese Supercup.
More silverware followed in Pereira’s two years at the Estádio do Dragão, with the Portuguese leading his side to the league title in his first season at the helm.
He replicated the feat the following season, overseeing Porto’s impressive unbeaten campaign in which they conceded just six draws in 30 games.
Despite his domestic prowess, Pereira came under criticism for a poor stint of European results.
After exiting the UEFA Champions’ League group stage in December 2011, Porto failed to retain their Europa League crown following a defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the round-of-32.
In March 2013, he came under fire again after being dumped out of the Champions League by Manuel Pellegrini’s Malaga in the round-of-16.
He faced particular scrutiny for his decision to bench former Everton man James Rodriguez in both legs of the tie, with the Colombian publicly expressing his disappointment at his manager’s decision.
Still, Pereira’s excellent win rate of 69.89%. – with Porto losing just 12 of his 93 games in charge - was enough to pique the interest of officials at Goodison Park in the summer of 2013.
He spoke with Bill Kenwright before eventually being pipped to the post of David Moyes successor by Roberto Martinez.
After his contract expired at Porto, Pereira signed a two-year deal with Saudi Professional League side Al Ahli Saudi FC.
The Portuguese picked up a runner-up medal in the King’s Cup before replacing Michel as manager of Olympiacos F.C. in January 2015.
In his six months in charge, Pereira led the Greek side to a league and cup double before his contract was terminated by mutual consent in June 2015.
The Blues’ managerial candidate subsequently spent a year in Turkey as manager of Fenerbahçe before his contract was unilaterally cancelled by the Istanbul club.
Pereira suffered perhaps the biggest blow of his managerial career in May 2017 when his side TSV 1860 Munich were relegated from the second tier of German football after losing to SSV Jahn Regensburg in the play-offs.
However, Pereira bounced back when he once again took over from Villas-Boas’, this time as boss of Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG, leading the club to their first ever league title in his first season.
The dismissal of Marco Silva in December 2019 saw the Portuguese once again in the frame for the Everton job.
Speaking to Sky Sports News at the time, Pereira said that it was “an honour” to be considered by a club he had “so much respect for” but reaffirmed his commitment to SIPG where he remained in charge for a further year.
His most recent appointment saw him return to Fenerbahçe in July 2021; however, he was sacked just five months into his contract following a disappointing run which left the Turkish side 14 points behind league leaders Trabzonspor.
With the ex-Porto boss now out of a job and Everton once again in the market for a new manager, it could well be a case of third time lucky for Pereira and the Toffees.
The presence of Iranian businessman and unlicensed “super-agent” Kia Joorabchian in the Goodison directors’ box during Saturday’s defeat to Aston Villa has certainly set tongues wagging.
Joorabchian was reportedly consulted before Pereira’s appointment at Munich in 2016 and there has been much speculation that he is touting the Portuguese to Farhad Moshiri and the Everton board.
Back in 2013, Pereira described his playing style as one of “total control”, with his teams “pressing very aggressively, very high up the pitch”.
Whilst this brand of directness could inject a much-needed dose of energy into Everton’s drab form, Pereira’s dearth of experience in Europe’s top five leagues could prove a huge risk as the Toffees desperately look to move up the table.
