River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo could potentially be heading to the Premier League with Everton or Arsenal.
Now for something completely different.
If the prospective return of David Moyes feels like a desperate attempt for Everton to re-claim the relative glory years of top six finishes and semi-regular European forays, links with Mr Marcelo Gallardo suggest that not all of their thinking is being done inside the box (Mirror).
Everything about Gallardo screams a left-wing appointment. He is completely unproven not just in the Premier League but in Europe too, having never coached outside of his homeland of Argentine.
But while the former Monaco and PSG midfielder is precisely the opposite of a so-called ‘safe pair of hands’, the fact that his River Plate side are feared all over South America speaks volumes about the job he has done in Buenos Aires.
Ten trophies in five seasons is a remarkable record and, in 2018, he led River Plate to Copa Libertadores glory against bitter rivals Boca Juniors – some seven years after they were relegated from the top flight for the first time in their entire history.
To say that Gallardo has single-handedly turned this club around, dragging them off the bottom and turning them into a continental force, would be no exaggeration.
He might not be the favourite to take over from Marco Silva’s Everton but a man with whose name has become synonymous with success over the last few years at least deserves consideration. According to ESPN, some at Arsenal have championed Gallardo too.
And Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola would be the first to welcome Gallardo onto English shores.
“I know that what Gallardo has done in River is incredible, at the level of results. In giving consistency one year and another year and another year, players are leaving but he still is,” Guardiola told TNT in October after Gallardo was omitted from the top three coaches at the FIFA ‘The Best’ awards.
“We have nominated three coaches for the best of the year and he is never among them. It seems that there is only Europe in the world and I don’t understand how Gallardo is not nominated among the best coaches in the world.
“Hopefully one day I can face his teams. It would be very nice.”
If Everton or Arsenal are willing to take a punt on the best club manager outside of Europe, Guardiola might just get his wish.
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