Report: Who would’ve managed Everton if Bielsa’s U21 proposal had been accepted

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It was reported in January by The Times that Marcelo Bielsa had offered to manage Everton’s U21 team until the summer and then take over the senior squad at the end of the season.

This was a very interesting proposal, and it’s one that Everton didn’t go for as the immediate threat of relegation loomed large.

Of course, Everton needed a short-term solution, and hiring a manager who wouldn’t have taken over until the summer would have been a bit of a backwards step.

However, Bielsa did have a plan for the senior squad until the end of the season.

Indeed, according to The Athletic, Bielsa proposed that his long-term assistants, Diego Reyes and Pablo Quiroga, would manage the senior squad until the summer.

This would have been an interesting proposition for Everton, who had struggled for consistency this season under Lampard, and being managed by two assistant managers who’d never taken on such a job could have backfired massively.

Reyes and Quiroga, who have worked alongside Bielsa for many years, are highly regarded in the coaching world. Reyes has worked with Bielsa at a number of different clubs, including Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, and Leeds United, while Quiroga has been a key member of his coaching staff too.

If this proposal had been accepted, Reyes and Quiroga would have had the opportunity to prove their worth as managers at a high level, and Everton would have benefited from the continuity provided by Bielsa’s long-term assistants. The U21 team would have also benefited from the presence of Bielsa, who would have brought his trademark intensity and tactical nous to the team.

In the long-term, this proposal really could have benefitted Everton as they would have had one of the world’s most unique managers on board for the 2022/23 season, but the financial impact of relegation may have proved too frightening for the board.

While Bielsa won’t be managing Everton any time soon, his proposal shows that he is ready to return to management soon in the right capacity, and a Premier League return in the summer seemingly isn’t off the cards.