Everton initially wanted 'fantastic' Premier League manager before turning attention to Sean Dyche

By Sam Preston

Everton considered trying to appoint Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper to replace Frank Lampard this week.

That is according to Miguel Delaney, writing in his weekly Reading The Game column for The Independent, who said that Thomas Frank was also under consideration.

But he claims Everton knew they did not have the footballing structure in place behind the scenes to make a swoop worthwhile.

Sean Dyche looks all set to take over after failed talks with Marcelo Bielsa, with both men more comfortable taking huge responsibility for a wide variety of areas at a club.

Everton liked Steve Cooper

Delaney wrote: “There’s no doubting the story of the week, which now seems about so much more than Everton appointing yet another manager.

“The next one almost represents a referendum on the club, that could decide much more than their Premier League future. The wider hierarchy had initially wanted a more progressive modern manager, such as Steve Cooper or Thomas Frank, but Everton do not currently have the football structure to make it worth their while.

“That’s why, if they are going longer-term, they need a more all-consuming figure. That is the only way to describe Marcelo Bielsa, and it should be acknowledged that chairman Farhad Moshiri was almost single-minded in wanting the Argentine above anyone else.

“Bielsa just goes beyond that, though, which explained Everton have been unable to consider some of his demands. Underscoring all of this is the need to survive. It is a more acute necessity than normal given the stadium, the debt and the state of the current squad.

“That is why they are turning to Sean Dyche – although, given this story, who knows if there will be another twist?”

Cooper has done a ‘fantastic‘ job at Forest and talk that his position was at risk early in the season was ridiculous and thankfully unfounded.

He is also a good developer of young players who has been handed a huge amount of players at the City Ground and tasked with moulding them into a team.

Forest are currently six points and six places ahead of Everton, the highest of all the clubs realistically in the relegation battle as it stands.