Everton have appointed Carlo Ancelotti as their manager on a four-and-a-half-year-deal in a move that will be regarded by the club as a significant coup.
Ancelotti was keen to return to the Premier League, where he has managed Chelsea, after being sacked by Napoli but he has spent most of his coaching career with clubs competing in the Champions League. He is expected to be assisted by his son, Davide, and Ancelotti has confirmed that caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson will be part of his coaching team.
Ancelotti, who is at Goodison Park to watch the Arsenal match from the stands, will take charge of his first match at home against Burnley on St Stephen’s Day. Ancelotti told evertonfc.com: “This is a great club with a rich history and a very passionate fan base. There is a clear vision from the owner and the board to deliver success and trophies. That is something that appeals to me as a manager and I am thrilled at the prospect of being able to work with everybody at the Club to help make that vision a reality.
“I have seen from the performances in the last two weeks that the players are capable of so much. The work Duncan [FERGUSON]has done is a great credit to him. Strong organisation, strong discipline and the right motivation are some of the key ingredients in football and I’m pleased that he will be part of my backroom team moving forward.”
Marcel Brands, Everton's director of football, said: "Following a rigorous process conducted by all of our directors, it is a pleasure to now welcome Carlo Ancelotti to Everton. He is one of the finest managers in world football and a proven winner, having achieved a remarkable level of success in each of Europe's major leagues.
“He is the perfect appointment for us. He embraces our vision for the Club and we are sure that his enthusiasm to take the helm at Goodison together with his tactical abilities and well-renowned man-management will make him successful in this role. This was a clear and exciting decision for the board to make. It was a unanimous choice and one we were all fully united behind throughout. Carlo has proven time and again, he knows how to build a trophy-winning side and we share the excitement of our fans at the prospect of him leading our team in the years ahead. We’re all greatly looking forward to working with him.”
Everton, who sacked Marco Silva in early December, are in a relegation battle, although positive results under the caretaker manager Ferguson have taken them out of the bottom three. Ferguson is in charge of the team for Saturday's home match against Arsenal.
Ancelotti won the Double with Chelsea in 2010 and has since managed Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Napoli. The Italian has won the Champions League three times as a manager, most recently with Real Madrid in 2014 and before that twice with Milan.
Ancelotti left Napoli on December 10th after poor domestic form had led to their falling behind Internazionale and Juventus in Serie A. The fact that he had taken the team into the last 16 of the Champions League on the same night was not enough to save his job.
- Guardian
