Big things were expected of Everton before a ball was kicked this season.

Only Manchester City and Chelsea outspent the Toffees during the summer, with their £182 million outlay comfortably exceeding that of Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Their ambitious investment in bringing the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Michael Keane and Jordan Pickford to the club suggested they could challenge for Champions League qualification, though it certainly didn’t turn out that way.

Everton won just two of their first nine Premier League matches under Ronald Koeman before he was sacked in October, leaving the club in the relegation zone.

Since the arrival of Sam Allardyce last November, the Toffees have soared into eighth position on the league table in what can only be hailed as a remarkable recovery.

Not all is well at Goodison Park, though.

Despite his successful efforts to steer the club away from the drop, Allarydce is widely unpopular popular figure among Everton fans.

While there would otherwise be no question over his job security, the pressure from supporters has prompted the former England boss to concede his future on Merseyside isn’t guaranteed.

ALLARDYCE'S TAKE ON HIS FUTURE

Speaking about his meeting with Everton owner Farhad Moshiri next week, Allardyce said: “We’ve got things to sort out, yes. At end of the day, we are where we are,” per the Mirror.

“I can’t speculate or predict what Farhad is thinking or isn’t thinking, I’ll only find out when I see him. I’ve done all I can do. That’s what I’ll say to him. I can’t do any more than that.

“There will be some meeting somewhere along the line next week.

“It depends what part of the world he’s in — he’s a busy man, runs billions-and-billions of pounds companies. So I’ll drop into his schedule, and meet him where I can, if that’s what he wishes.”

EVERTON HAVE APPROACHED TWO MANAGERS

However, it seems Everton may already be planning for his departure with reports they’ve enquired about the availability of ex-Watford boss Marco Silva and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Paulo Fonseca.

With an estimated 35,000 people walking out of Goodison to skip a players’ lap of appreciation at the Toffees’ final home game last weekend, one gets the sense something has to change to get them back onside.

Given Silva was the club’s preferred option before appointing Allardyce in mid-season, it’s no surprise he’s considered the favourite to replace the 63-year-old, if not Fonseca.

Should Allardyce be replaced during the summer? Let us know what you think in the comments sections.