Why Niko Kovac's record of rejuvenating clubs should make him a serious candidate for Everton

It’s now been over a week since Everton sacked Rafa Benitez.

Duncan Ferguson has since been installed as caretaker manager and appeared to be in a tussle with Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard for the permanent post, only for Vitor Pereira to suddenly emerge as the smokin’ hot new bookmakers’ favourite over the weekend.

There were even reports that Everton had made an agreement with the Portuguese coach to become their new manager.

It’s fair to say that fan reaction to Pereira has been mixed, while it's important to note that Everton’s managerial search is still on-going with other candidates under consideration for the vacancy.

One manager the club should definitely consider is Niko Kovac, a 25/1 earlier today who has just been trimmed to 12/1 in the betting.

Given his pedigree, record of rejuvenating clubs, and availability the Croatian is a name that could excite many supporters.

After a couple of years in charge of Croatia, whom he took to the 2014 World Cup, Kovac was appointed manager of Bundesliga side Frankfurt. One point from safety with nine games to go, Kovac kept the club in the table. He then took them to consecutive German Cup finals - winning the club’s first trophy since the 1980s - and got them knocking on the door for European places.

Kovac’s stellar work caught the eye of giants Bayern Munich - who he beat to win the cup - and in his first season at the helm he won the league title, German cup, and Super Cup. At the start of his second campaign he oversaw a sensational 7-2 win away to Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham, only to be sacked a month later following a 5-1 defeat to former club Frankfurt.

Kovac bounced back from that disappointment in impressive fashion. Appointed Monaco manager in the summer of 2020, he lifted a club wounded by the recent failures of Thierry Henry and Leonardo Jardim’s second spell. Prior to his arrival Monaco had just avoided relegation in 2019, then finished mid-table in 2020, only for Kovac to transform them into Ligue 1 title challengers; ultimately finishing 3rd and reaching a cup final.

Kovac was then dismissed at the start of 2022, in a surprise move which is said to have left many players shocked. A falling out with the club’s sporting director Paul Mitchell is believed to have been a key factor behind his departure. Monaco have since turned to talented Belgian boss Philippe Clement, whereas Kovac finds himself looking for his next opportunity.

Unlike Pereira, Kovac is proven in Europe’s major leagues. He’s managed one of the biggest clubs in the continent in Bayern, while perhaps more relevant to Everton is the way he injected energy and impetus into a relegation-threatened Frankfurt and a confidence-short Monaco.

Their respective revivals will surely appeal to a struggling Everton side who have won one and lost 10 of their last 14 Premier League matches.

Elsewhere in the market, Lampard and Rooney can be backed at 5/1 and 6/1 respectively, Ferguson has drifted out to 10/1, while Fabio Cannavaro and Roberto Martinez have both lengthened somewhat to 25/1.

Full odds below...