Everton have been through a turbulent decade, and the number of managers they’ve gone through tells the story better than anything else. Seven permanent appointments in ten years is a sign of a club that has struggled to find the right direction, and many of those choices were proven to be the wrong ones.
Rafa Benitez stands out as the biggest mistake, not only because of his Liverpool ties but because he lasted less than seven months before the club realised things were falling apart under his leadership.
Frank Lampard did not have an easy time either, but he managed to pull off one of the most important moments in recent club history when he kept Everton in the Premier League during the 2021/22 season.
Even though his spell at Goodison Park never lived up to expectations, Lampard has rebuilt himself impressively at Coventry City and now looks destined to return to the Premier League sooner rather than later.
While Lampard’s revival is generating plenty of attention, Jamie Carragher believes that another former Everton manager deserves just as much admiration for the way he has rebuilt his career.
The Sky Sports pundit pointed to Marco Silva as an example of someone who was dismissed too early and has since proved that Everton should have kept faith in him.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Overlap, Carragher shared his view that Silva had the qualities to succeed at Goodison Park and that his career path could eventually lead him to Tottenham Hotspur.
Carragher explained that during Farhad Moshiri’s chaotic period of constant managerial changes, Silva was the one name he felt Everton should have stuck with. He admired Silva’s approach, his ideas, and the way he tried to implement a clear structure at the club.
According to Carragher, it was a missed opportunity. He even admitted that he could easily picture Silva managing Tottenham one day, not because Spurs should sack Thomas Frank now, but because Silva fits the profile of a coach capable of elevating a club aiming for Champions League football without necessarily being in the bracket of Liverpool or Manchester City.
Carragher described him as someone who belongs to that ambitious second tier clubs like Spurs or Aston Villa where a capable manager can realistically take their team into Europe and push the top sides.
Marco Silva’s work at Fulham has strengthened that belief even further. He took the club back into the Premier League and turned them into a side capable of competing comfortably rather than constantly battling relegation.
Under his guidance, Fulham have played with identity, confidence, and a clear plan qualities that many teams in the league would love to harness. Because of this success, it is no surprise that Silva has attracted attention from elsewhere.
During the summer, reports suggested he had agreed to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, but the move never happened. Tottenham were also linked with him before Daniel Levy and his staff decided to appoint Thomas Frank from Brentford.
His future remains one of the most interesting stories in English football. Silva is out of contract at Fulham at the end of the season, and after five years at Craven Cottage, he may feel it is the right moment for a new challenge.
Some Everton supporters even voiced earlier this year that they would welcome him back if the opportunity ever arose. With David Moyes’ deal running until 2027, that scenario is not impossible if things change in the next couple of years.
What is clear is that Marco Silva has rebuilt his reputation brilliantly. From a manager many thought had failed at Everton, he has turned into someone who could genuinely be considered for major Premier League jobs.
Carragher’s belief that Silva could one day be in the Spurs dugout reflects how far he has come. Whether he stays at Fulham or chooses a new destination, Silva’s next chapter promises to be one of the most intriguing managerial moves in the league.
