How Everton could line up under Carlo Ancelotti with new signings

According to The Guardian, Carlo Ancelotti has agreed a deal to take over the managerial reins at Everton, who are on the verge of appointing the Italian maestro as their new permanent manager before Christmas. 

Ancelotti has been linked with jobs at several elite clubs across Europe following his dismissal at Napoli, but if the report is to be believed, the Italian serial winner is set to snub other approaches to complete a move to Goodison Park. 

Despite receiving the marching orders, Ancelotti has a contract at Napoli until the summer of 2021, meaning that the Italian outfit owe a certain amount of compensation after severing ties with him earlier than expected. However, the report adds that Ancelotti might forego that sum to catalyze his appointment at Merseyside.

As per the report, the 60-year-old has made it clear that he is only interested in taking up the vacant managerial role at Everton if the Toffees are prepared to offer him a long-term contract. On top of that, the Italian has also sought reassurances regarding some significant backing in the transfer window to help him reshape the squad to his liking. (h/t The Guardian) 

That shouldn’t really be a problem for Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri, who has not hesitated to splash out millions of pounds in the transfer market in recent times.

Everton have shown the audacity to bring in some marquee signings over the past twelve months and Ancelotti’s status as one of Europe’s most successful managers means that he could well have his wish granted.

Caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson, who took over the reins from Marco Silva following his dismissal in the wake of Everton’s defeat against Liverpool, has brought a renewed sense of passion to the club, guiding the Toffees to a 3-1 victory over Chelsea and a 1-1 draw against Man United.

However, he is only seen as a temporary fix and it remains to be seen whether the potential appointment of Carlo Ancelotti could possibly turn the tables for Everton, who are currently staring at the possibility of a horror campaign in the Premier League after winning only 5 of their 17 games so far. 

Having said that, the arrival of Ancelotti could lead to a complete tactical change at Goodison Park. As opposed to his predecessor, Marco Silva, who seemed virtually married to an attacking 4-2-3-1 system, the Italian preferred a more balanced and old-school 4-4-2 system at his previous club Napoli and he could try to do the same at Everton after taking charge.

With that in mind, let us take a look at how Everton could line up prior to the start of the 2020-21 season under Carlos Ancelotti after some significant investment in the January window and next summer.

Having conceded 29 goals and scored just 20 in 17 games so far, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Everton will need to bring in some reinforcements at both ends of the pitch if they are genuinely serious about rebuilding their squad under the three-time UEFA Champions League winner.

Starting with the backline, it would be fair to assume that Djibril Sidibe, who has impressed during his loan spell at Monaco, might get more regular opportunities under Ancelotti ahead of veteran Seamus Coleman, who clearly seems past his prime and has struggled with injuries.

The Frenchman has already contributed with 3 assists in the Premier League so far and a decent run of form in the second half of the campaign could earn him a permanent move to Goodison Park in January or next summer, given that he is surplus to requirements at Monaco.

The centre-back pairing of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina hasn’t really managed to provide the required stability at the heart of the defence and the arrival of Ancelotti could witness the arrival of a new central defender. 

Armando Izzo, who is currently plying his trade with Torino in the Serie A, has been linked with a move to Everton in the recent past (Tuttosport h/t Liverpool Echo) and Ancelotti could look to dip into a familiar market in his homeland to bring the 27-year-old to Goodison Park. 

Izzo has a wealth of experience in the Italian top-flight and that could see either of Mina or Keane playing second-fiddle with the 27-year-old a regular fixture under the stewardship of his compatriot. Lucas Digne has been an inspired addition to Everton’s ranks and he will surely retain his status as the first-choice left-back at the club.

Everton already have a plethora of options in their ranks when it comes to the midfield, with the likes of Fabian Delph, Andre Gomes, Morgan Schneiderlin, Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Tom Davies and Gylfi Sigurdsson very much in the mix. 

Gomes might not feature for the rest of the ongoing campaign due to an injury but his profile as a technically-gifted midfielder could make him a go-to option for Ancelotti next season. 

The key area, though, where Ancelotti will need to focus on strengthening is the attacking department where Everton have been found wanting in recent times. 

Ajax winger David Neres has been on the club’s radar for quite some time and while the Toffees failed to get their hands on the versatile Brazilian attacker this past summer (h/t Liverpool Echo), the lure of working under Ancelotti might make a deal easier to materialize in the coming days.  

Neres’ Brazilian compatriot Everton Soares (h/t Portuguese journalist Bruno Andrade via Liverpool Echo) has also emerged as a top target for Everton in recent times and he could well be an upgrade on the likes of Alex Iwobi and Bernard, neither of whom has managed to chip in with significant goal contributions.

With Neres playing down the right, Soares operating down that left-hand channel and Iwobi and Bernard as more than decent back-ups, unimpressive veteran star Theo Walcott could get the chop under Carlo Ancelotti.

The arrival of creative players like Neres and Soares, both of whom are also capable of chipping in with plenty of goals, could get the best out of a strike pairing of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Ancelotti likes a target man up top complement a more mobile forward and the pairing of Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin could be ideal for that kind of a system.

Given Ancelotti’s glowing profile as a successful manager in Europe and his previous exploits at Chelsea in the Premier League, expectations will be sky-high if the Italian takes over at Goodison Park. 

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To that end, the Toffees appointing Carlo Ancelotti would be a massive statement of intent and he might well be the man to help them break the top-six lock in the Premier League.