‘Everton need a manager with bottle…but forget about Diego Simeone’, says Ray Wilkins
Ray Wilkins has told Everton to forget about landing Diego Simeone as their next permanent manager.
Recent reports have claimed the Atletico Madrid boss is majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri's number one target as he searches for a long-term successor to Ronald Koeman.
But Simeone is one of the most coveted coaches in world football and Wilkins says the Toffees have no chance of persuading him to move to Goodison Park.
Asked about the vacant Everton job, Wilkins said: “It’s going to take someone with a lot of bottle to go in there and sort it all out.
“But Simeone? Just leave that alone, don’t even go there!”
Wilkins also responded to fellow talkSPORT co-host Joey Barton’s comments about David Unsworth, having said the caretaker boss was unsuitable for the full-time role as Everton manager due to his weight.
READ MORE: Joey Barton slams 'glorified PE teacher' David Unsworth and warns Everton could be relegated
Speaking to Alan Brazil on Wednesday’s Sports Breakfast show, the former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder said: “I’ve got to say, I was very saddened when I heard Joey talk about David [Unsworth].
"I was really disappointed that he took on a stance of what he looks like on the side of the pitch.
“Let’s be honest, we’ve all thrown on a load of timber since we’ve stopped playing, but it’s not about that, it’s about what you’re giving the club.
“When I saw Everton at the weekend [against Watford in the Premier League], they went 2-0 down and I thought, ‘my goodness gracious, that is the worst performance I could have imagined from a group of guys who wanted this guy to be in management’.
“But then all of a sudden, they came to the fore, they worked their socks off for him [Everton came back from 2-0 down to beat the Hornets 3-2 at Goodison].
“It’s not necessarily what you look like, it’s what you can produce and the respect you have from the players that will give you those results – and that result at the weekend was paramount as far as Everton’s season is concerned.”
Listen to Ray Wilkins on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast below!
