David Unsworth is set to remain as interim Everton manager for the Europa League group tie with Atalanta with the Blues no further along in their quest to find a new boss.

The Blues had hoped and were expected to have a new manager installed before the end of the most recent international break but were stumped in their search for a new man.

Ronald Koeman was sacked over a month ago and Unsworth has taken charge of five games, winning one, drawing another and losing the other three.

After being eliminated from the Europa League following an away defeat at Lyon, Thursday’s game with the Italian side is expected to be one of the lowest attended games at Goodison Park this campaign.

Unsworth is more than likely set to field a fringe side on Thursday night, made up of players like Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez who have struggled since joining the Blues over the summer.

The interim boss is not expected to be considered for the role of permanent manager but will be looking to build on his last two results - a 3-2 win over Watford and Saturday’s 2-2 draw away at Crystal Palace.

Chasing Silva

There are still plenty of names linked to the role but the Blues have their eyes set firmly on one man - Watford boss Marco Silva.

Everton are still attempting to pry Silva away from Watford and are believed to be set to resume talks with the Hornets in an attempt to get their man.

The Hornets have been clear to the media that they consider the matter closed and won’t discuss any potential move with the Blues top brass but Everton remain confident they can force their hand.

Silva, 40, is reportedly interested in making the switch from Vicarage Road to Goodison Park but is not believed to be ready to push for a move so early into his tenure with Watford.

Everton majority Farhad Moshiri and club chairman Bill Kenwright would likely have to pay a fee similar to what Chelsea paid to take Andre Villas-Boas away from Porto back in 2011.

They have already had two offers, one at £8 million and another at £10.5 million, turned down by the Hornets for Silva.

The club are expected to return with at least one more offer for the Portuguese boss.

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December approaches

On Sunday, the Toffees travel to Southampton to take on Mauricio Pellegrino’s men in the Premier League.

Unsworth will likely take charge of that game too, looking to build on the foundations built by not losing either of the past two games in charge.

The Blues then return to Goodison Park to face West Ham United and David Moyes on the 29th of November.

They’ll be hoping to have a boss installed before the first week of December so whoever takes charge, has a run of games and around a month’s worth of a squad assessment period before the start of the January transfer window.

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About the author
Connor Bennett
Everton editor for VAVEL UK - contributing since 2015. Premier League accredited journalist. Journalism graduate from Liverpool. Writing about Football, eSports and the NFL. Email: [email protected] | Twitter: ConnorBennett14