OPINION
While Everton boss Sam Allardyce has done the job he was brought in to do – save the club from relegation – there is a growing feeling on Merseyside that he will not occupy the Toffees dugout next season.
Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri is a notoriously ambitious man, as illustrated by the millions he has poured into the club since taking over, and you just feel as though Allardyce is not really up to scratch for him.
When the 63-year-old was hired in November, the Toffees were in serious relegation danger after a horrific start to the season, and the club turned to Allardyce for help.
As he always does, Allardyce has managed to steer them clear of that danger, but there remain questions about how far the former England boss can take the club above that level.
Recent reports suggest that Moshiri is plotting a summer overhaul at Goodison Park involving Shakhtar Donetsk boss Paulo Fonseca, but there is another Portuguese manager closer to home that the club should consider swooping for.
As reported by Sky Sports, Swansea have opened talks with manager Carlos Carvalhal about extending his contract at the Liberty Stadium after an impressive start to his tenure in South Wales.
The broadcaster report that the Swans have an option to extend his contract, which expires this summer, and plan to trigger that even if they are relegated.
However, Everton must consider swooping for Carvalhal this summer, especially if Swansea are relegated to the Championship at the end of the season.
The Portuguese mastermind has been brilliant for Swansea, taking them from a precarious position at the bottom of the table and five points adrift in December, to 15th and three points above the drop zone currently.
That is some miracle work if you consider the form that Swansea were in when he arrived, and some of the beautiful football they have played in the process of their recovery.
There can be no doubt that Carvalhal is a manager destined for the top, and Everton would be sensible in offering him the chance to manage at Goodison Park next season.