Everton have sacked Marco Silva after Wednesday’s 5-2 defeat to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby left them 18th in the Premier League.
The club confirmed his departure on Thursday evening along with members of his staff after lengthy talks with club owner Farhad Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright at their Finch Farm training ground.
Duncan Ferguson is set to take temporary charge of the first team ahead of Saturday’s game against Chelsea with Everton saying “the club aims to confirm a new permanent manager as swiftly as possible”.
It is understood that Shanghai SIPG manager Vitor Pereira is the club’s number one target to replace Silva with former Toffees boss David Moyes also considered.
The Scot, who previously managed Everton from 2002-2013, has been out of work since leaving West Ham in the summer of 2018.
Silva arrived in May 2018 and led Everton to an eighth-place finish last season – but they are currently on a run of one win in six and have just 14 points from 15 Premier League games this season.
The Portuguese was also heavily backed in the transfer market, spending £120m in the summer, adding to the level of expectancy and pressure on Silva to deliver a top-six finish this season.
