Everton have confirmed Carlo Ancelotti as their new manager, with the Italian signing a four-and-a-half-year contract at Goodison Park.
The Toffees have been without a permanent manager since sacking Marco Silva on December 5, in the wake of a 5-2 defeat to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby which left them in the bottom three.
Duncan Ferguson has been in interim charge since then, guiding an injury-hit side to a win over Chelsea and a draw with Manchester United, though Everton did exit the EFL Cup with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out defeat to Leicester City on Wednesday.
However, Ancelotti – who was dismissed by Napoli on December 10 despite taking the Serie A club to the knockout stage of the Champions League and securing a second-place finish in Italy last season – has now been confirmed as Silva s permanent replacement.
It presents something of a coup for Everton, who sit 16th in the Premier League table, three points above the relegation zone.
| Introducing the new manager of Everton Football Club, !
— Everton (@Everton)
Ancelotti, who previously managed in England with Chelsea, winning the Premier League and FA Cup in 2009-10, will attend Everton s game with Arsenal on Saturday as a spectator before overseeing his first match in charge at home to Burnley on Boxing Day.
This is a great club with a rich history and a very passionate fan base, said Ancelotti, who also confirmed Ferguson will be part of his backroom team.
There is a clear vision from the owner and the board to deliver success and trophies. That is something that appeals to me as a manager and I am thrilled at the prospect of being able to work with everybody at the club to help make that vision a reality.
I have seen from the performances in the last two weeks that the players are capable of so much. The work Duncan has done is a great credit to him. Strong organisation, strong discipline and the right motivation are some of the key ingredients in football and I m pleased that he will be part of my backroom team moving forward.
The 60-year-old has also coached Juventus, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, winning the Champions League on three occasions.
