Joey Barton faces the club he supports tonight when his Fleetwood side host Everton in the EFL Cup.
Barton feels Carlo Ancelotti is returning the optimism to the club, according to an interview with the Telegraph.
He has commented on the feeling he picked up around the Merseyside club when he took his side to play their Under 23s last season.
That was under Marco Silva and Barton was far from complimentary.
“The optimism around the club is great,” said Barton. “We played them in the Under-23s last season and it was like visiting a mortuary.
“I was like, ‘This can’t be Everton, what’s going on here?’ The place was downtrodden and downbeat.
“But I went the other night against Salford and already you can feel the spirit in the club, things are looking up. That is due to Ancelotti and the credibility he brings.
“As an Evertonian, for the first time in a long time they are being taken seriously again. Ancelotti’s the person that changed that.”
Everton’s opening fixtures of the 2020/21 season
- Tottenham (A)
September 12
- West Brom (H)
September 19
- Crystal Palace (A)
September 26
- Brighton (H)
October 3
- Liverpool (H)
October 17
- Southampton (A)
October 26
There’s no doubt that Ancelotti has transformed the mood around Goodison Park.
Finally Everton have an elite manager to match their financial clout and that has been reflected in the players they’ve brought in this summer.
It’s early days but a good cup run and an assault on the top six this season is a realistic target.
Barton will be out to lay down a potential banana skin tonight and Ancelotti will hope his second-string can keep the momentum going.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
