Everton have been linked with a move for manager Luis Enrique.
With a fan backlash in the aftermath of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Watford, Sam Allardyce already finds himself under increasing pressure at Everton.
The Toffees boss was only appointed as Ronald Koeman’s successor in November, but with just two wins in 2018 and a run of five away defeats in a row in all competitions, Everton fans are far from happy.
A poor brand of football and Allardyce’s claims that Everton are just a mid-table side have led to calls for ‘Big Sam’ to be axed already, and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri appears to be at least considering his options.
The Daily Star report that one name mentioned at Everton as a potential replacement is Luis Enrique, who has been out of management since leaving Barcelona at the end of last season.
The problem for Everton could come with Enrique’s wages, as The Telegraph note that he earned £16.5million-a-year (£317,000-a-week) at Barcelona, and may demand similar to make a move to Chelsea.
That is a huge sum of money to pay a manager, and any Everton bid for Enrique could be seen as a major sign of ambition from Moshiri, or completely wasting time given that the Toffees would have to pay the Spaniard exponentially more than Allardyce is earning.
Enrique, 47, started out with Barcelona B before an underwhelming stint in charge of Roma, before he rebuilt his reputation with Celta Vigo and returned to Barcelona, winning 76% of his games with the Catalan giants whilst two La Liga titles and the Champions League.
Enrique certainly has the pedigree to be an exciting appointment for Everton, but his huge wage demands may just make things difficult, and if Moshiri is serious about landing him, then he must gauge his interest quickly and not head towards the summer wasting time on a pursuit which could ultimately be for nothing.
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