Frank Lampard is lining up his former Chelsea assistant coach Anthony Barry for a role in his backroom toom in case Farhad Moshiri elects to hire him as the next Everton manager.
That’s according to The Sun, who report Lampard is the emerging favourite to replace Rafa Benitez at Goodison Park. He will hold new talks with Toffees owner Moshiri on Friday after impressing during his initial interview for the position.
Moshiri fired his fifth permanent manager in Benitez, amid a run of one win in 13 Premier League games. Everton’s sole victory between beating Norwich City on September 25 and losing at Carrow Road on January 15 came against Arsenal.
Lampard will name Barry in his second interview with Moshiri to show Everton he is ready to take charge. He built a rapport with the Chelsea coach after hiring him for his backroom team at Stamford Bridge in 2020.
Barry would also add another Scouse presence to the Toffees staff if brought to Merseyside from west London. The Liverpool-born 35-year-old spent time in the Goodison academy in his youth, but never made a first-team appearance.
Barry could help Lampard fix Everton issue Benitez did not
Tuchel convinced Barry to stay at Chelsea after the club sacked Everton’s potential next manager, Lampard, in January 2021. The Sun note the German has since hailed the Toffees product as the brains behind the Blues’ set-pieces.
Only Liverpool (12) have scored more often from dead ball situations in the Premier League so far this season than Chelsea and Manchester City (10), per WhoScored. Everton rank just 15th as one of four sides to have scored from just four.
Only Norwich (2) and Manchester United (1) have scored fewer goals from set-pieces. But Lampard still faces competition from Duncan Ferguson and Vitor Pereira over becoming the next Everton manager. The Telegraph report Moshiri also interview them on Friday.
Additionally, The Athletic have reported Everton sounded out former Toffees midfielder Lee Carsley over becoming one of Ferguson’s assistants. The England U21 manager played at Goodison between 2003 and 2008, making 198 appearances.
But Moshiri electing to bring Lampard in as Everton’s next manager would see the Toffees hire a coach lauded for overcoming a rocky patch while stood at the Derby County helm.
“Even if they don’t win the [Championship play-off] final, he’s done an incredible job so far,” Gary Rowett told BBC Radio 5 Live. “They started to have that dip in late December and January, and that is when you are tested as a manager.
“When you are winning games, everything is rosy. As soon as you start losing games, you’ve got to get that team out of that dip… You’ve got to credit Frank Lampard for that.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
