Where do Everton go from here? 

When Farhad Moshiri shelled out big money to bring Carlo Ancelotti - one of the game's most decorated managers - to Goodison Park in December 2019, it was a huge statement of intent.

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Indeed, a club who had only turned to Sam Allardyce to save them from an unwelcome relegation battle as recently as 2017 had emerged as a landing spot for a man who had won three Champions League titles during his glittering managerial career. 

Thanks to the Ancelotti factor, Everton were able to attract big stars as James Rodriguez and Allan and, ahead of their hotly-anticipated stadium move, the club looked to be on an exciting upward trajectory. 

However, with those plans ruined (for now at least) as Ancelotti returns to Real Madrid, GIVEMESPORT writers Jonathan Gorrie, Joshua Cole, Sam Brookes and Christy Malyan have shared their verdicts on who loses out the most.

Jonathan Gorrie 

It has to be Moshiri himself. 

Since taking over part of Everton in 2016, not a huge amount of what he's done has worked. 

There have been a flurry of expensive signings to have failed to prove their worth while appointments like the big name Ronald Koeman or the up-and-coming Marco Silva have both ultimately led to sackings. 

Clearly an ambitious presence, it's tempting to feel sorry for him. Well, as much as you can feel sorry for a billionaire. 

Sadly, his big-name appointment has left him high and dry and Moshiri must regret the day he offered a man who would jump ship at pretty much the first time of asking a reported £11.5m a year. 

Wherever he goes from here, he is surely unlikely to get as big a name for a long time to come. 

Joshua Cole 

“With Ancelotti opting to re-join Real Madrid earlier this week, it will be intriguing to see how some of Everton’s star performers cope without him.

“One of the players who may struggle in the Italian’s absence is Dominic Calvert-Lewin who has made considerable strides in terms of his development in recent years under the guidance of the 61-year-old.

“Everton’s top-scorer last season in the Premier League last season with 16 goals, the forward may struggle to replicate this success in the future if the club make a mistake in terms of their next managerial appointment.

“Keeping this in mind, the Toffees should draft in an individual who has an excellent track-record in relation to man-management as it could have a positive impact on Calvert-Lewin’s performances at Goodison Park.”

Sam Brookes 

"James Rodriguez will be gutted to see Ancelotti leave.

"The Italian coach has previously managed to get the best out of Rodriguez when the pair worked together at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, which seemed to be the main reason that the Colombian opted to join Everton last summer.

"Some may have doubted whether Rodriguez could cut it in the Premier League, but Ancelotti’s trust in the 29-year-old has never wavered, and this gave the playmaker the confidence to flourish at Goodison Park.

"Despite his fitness issues, Rodriguez still managed to pop up with 10 goal contributions in 23 matches (via WhoScored) and received Everton’s highest average game rating from WhoScored of 7.21.

"A lot of this can be put down to the strength of the relationship between Rodriguez and Ancelotti, but now the experience manager has moved on, Rodriguez could find himself at another crossroads in his career, wondering whether it is worth sticking around on Merseyside any longer, or if he should look to exit the club himself."

Christy Malyan

"Credit where it's due, even before Carlo Ancelotti took the Everton job Marcel Brands was bringing some pretty high-profile names into Goodison Park, Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes being of particular notoriety.

"But it's certainly debatable whether Everton would've been able to draw in a talent of James Rodriguez's calibre without Ancelotti at the helm, with the pair boasting a prior relationship from their time at Real Madrid, and I do wonder whether Everton's director of football will be able to land another coup of that calibre without the now departed gaffer's pull factor.

"The Toffees will want to go up another level next season to make a more serious challenge for the European spots and landing high-profile talents would certainly help them do that. But how possible that now is may well hinge on their next manager having similar gravitas to Ancelotti - unfortunately, very few bosses in the world can offer that, and even fewer will be realistic candidates for the Goodison Park job.

"Brands may soon find recruitment a little tougher on Merseyside."

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