Former Premier League star Carlton Palmer insists that Everton would have to pay a fortune to appoint Jose Mourinho as their new manager.
The AS Roma boss has been linked with a swift return to the Premier League after leaving Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year, as the Toffees continue to struggle under the management of Rafael Benitez.
What's the latest news involving Benitez and Mourinho?
Everton have been somewhat struggling in the Premier League, despite keeping the wolves from the door with a win over Arsenal relatively recently.
The club have won just one of their last four games, that victory coming against the Gunners, and were most recently beaten by Crystal Palace, going down 3-1 at the weekend.
Everton are back in action in midweek against Chelsea and the pressure appears to be rising on Benitez.
The Daily Mirror has reported that Mourinho has emerged as a target for the club if they do decide to sack the Spaniard, although the Portuguese has hardly been setting the world alight at Roma.
The Italian club are currently sixth in Serie A and have already suffered some demoralising defeats, recently losing to both Bologna and Inter Milan in succession.
However, it appears that the Toffees could be willing to try to tempt Mourinho back to England, where he has enjoyed huge success with Chelsea, while also winning trophies with Manchester United.
What did Palmer say about Mourinho?
Asked if he thought a deal to bring Mourinho into the club was possible, Palmer replied: “Everything is possible but it’s going to cost you a lot of money. He’s on a project with Roma but like everything, money talks. Would Jose like to come back to the Premier League? I would think so.
"But, you know, going to a club where you know there’s financial restrictions, and the players that are there are not good enough to get you any more than probably mid table in the Premier League. Is it something that Jose Mourinho would fancy? I don't think so.”
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Would Mourinho be a good appointment?
Probably not.
Palmer is almost certainly correct in his assertion that Mourinho would view the Everton job as something of a step down.
Everton have finished inside the top seven just once in in the last seven seasons and simply haven't been able to push on and really make a prolonged challenge for the top four.
At Spurs, Mourinho struggled to turn a group of players who were floating around mid-table - they were in the bottom half when Mauricio Pochettino was sacked - back into regular Premier League title contenders.
He ultimately guided the club to a sixth-placed finish in 2020/21 but instead of improving upon that, he was sacked when Spurs dropped to seventh in the table, suggesting a stagnation in north London.
At Manchester United, Mourinho did guide the club to a second-placed finish in 2017/18 but the season following, he was sacked with them in sixth, and closer to the relegation zone than leaders Liverpool.
It seems unlikely that Mourinho is the man to transform Everton's fortunes.