Everton have missed out on the “brilliant” opportunity to hire Lee Carsley as Sean Dyche’s successor, Clinton Morrison has said.
Speaking on Sky Sports News (11 January, 12:08pm), Morrison agreed with the suggestion by Paul Merson that former Toffees midfielder Carsley would have been a “perfect fit” for the club going forward.
The Blues re-hired David Moyes on Saturday (11 January), 12 years after his departure to Manchester United, but Morrison argued the current England Under-21s boss has huge potential for the future.
Morrison said: “That would have been a brilliant move. I think he would have been brilliant – but he likes the job he’s doing now with the England Under-21s.
“If Everton came calling it might be hard to turn down. He’s a young manager who’s only going to get better.
A manager like Carsley would have been a perfect fit for Everton.
David Moyes can lay foundations for Lee Carsley hire at Everton
Moyes signing a two-and-a-half year deal to replace Dyche as the Toffees’ manager suggests that both he and The Friedkin Group are invested in his long-term vision, but things can quickly change in football.
Given Dyche was only under contract until the end of this season anyway, all the signs pointed towards a change being made in the summer at the latest, with TFG bringing forward their decision on Thursday (9 January).
However, depending on how convincingly – if at all – Moyes can keep the Blues in the Premier League this season, the club’s new owners may see another change of direction coming in the near future.
While dumping Moyes wouldn’t be a popular move in the eyes of Evertonians given his past successes on Merseyside, hiring his former midfield lieutenant Carsley as a replacement certainly would be.
The front-footed, free-flowing brand of football Carsley brings with him would be a sea-change from the safety-first style embodied by Dyche, but Moyes could well prove to be a bridge between the two.
