Reasons why it won’t happen, even though bookies have made him favorite to succeed him under pressure from Dyche
Jose Mourinho has been named by bookmakers as the favorite to take over Everton should they decide to offload Sean Dyche, but there are a number of reasons why the prospect of the Portuguese moving to Merseyside is out of the question.
Dyche is under pressure after poor form saw the Toffees slip to 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation places.
Everton have won just one of their last 10 league games – a stunning 4-0 win over Wolves on December 4th. But in the other nine games in that period, they have drawn five and lost four while scoring just one goal.
The new owners, the Friedkin Group, are unlikely to view this development positively, especially as Premier League survival is more important than ever this season with the club set to move to its new Bramley Dock stadium in 2025/26.
What do the bookmakers say?
Mourinho is the 4/5 favorite at BetVictor, while he is at 3/4 at Unibet, LiveScoreBet and BetMGM each.
BetMGM UK director Sam Behar said: “Is the Premier League ready for more from Jose Mourinho? Well, our bets suggest that “The Special One” could be in line for another stint in England with Everton.
“He is 3/4 to replace the under-pressure Sean Dyche at Goodison Park ahead of former Toffees boss David Moyes.
“There are a number of other names but Mourinho is the clear favorite to pull off a real coup for the Merseyside club.”
BetMGM has Moyes at 4/1, David Wagner at 9/1 and both Steve Cooper and Russell Martin at 14.
Could it happen?
The last thing ever @EmiratesFACup Third round tie at Goodison Park. COYB!⏳ pic.twitter.com/d0kUSdHtMn
– Everton (@Everton) January 9, 2025
For starters, Dyche is still in charge, even as unrest grows among a fan base that has been remarkably patient despite several years of uninspiring football.
Everton face Peterborough United in the third round of the FA Cup this evening. Provided the game gets the green light. Defeat is unlikely but the next two Premier League games, home games against Aston Villa and Tottenham, could decide Dyche’s fate.
Mourinho took over at Turkish club Fenerbahce in June and has done a good job. Fener are in second place in the Super Lig but are unlikely to win the title due to the excellent performance of rivals Galatasaray, who are eight points clear at the top.
The stumbling blocks
It is not certain that Mourinho would be keen to swap Istanbul for Merseyside. Fenerbahce is a club with a huge fan base that almost certainly guarantees European football every season.
Unless there is an unlikely FA Cup success culminating in a Wembley success, Everton will not be playing continental football any time soon.
In fact, further years of toil and struggle seem more likely, and Mourinho has previously spoken of having no desire for a relegation battle.
In October he told Sky Sports: “Honestly, this has to be the hardest thing, much harder than playing for titles. “It’s very, very difficult emotionally because it’s something that changes lives. You know, whether you stay in the Premier League or get relegated, it changes lives and a lot of things. Brave people who do this.”
Mourinho also previously worked at the Friedkin Group.
As Roma’s owners, they sacked the two-time Champions League winner after feeling he was not getting value for money in an expensively assembled squad.
At the time of his sacking last January, the Giallorossi were ninth in Serie A and struggling to reach the Champions League places.
Mourinho then claimed he was “eliminated by someone who doesn’t know football”, referring to Dan Friedkin.
It seems unlikely that he would take this route again.
