Saturday 21 December 2019 14:41, UK
Sky Sports News reporter Alan Myers analyses the thinking behind the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti at Everton, as Farhad Moshiri gets his "Hollywood manager".
"No single setback will derail us, we are on a road - we will get there."
Those were the words of Farhad Moshiri after Ronald Koeman was sacked. The reality is there has been more than one setback since the billionaire took control at Everton.
However, each time he has continued to invest heavily in the club, not only on players but also on managerial appointments, and his next and most anticipated choice will be the biggest statement he has made.
Carlo Ancelotti is Moshiri's fourth permanent manager in five years and his arrival at Goodison mirrors the Iranian's claim that Everton need a "Hollywood manager".
Moshiri previously warned shareholders "it's not enough to say you are a special club and a great club - we don't want to be a museum" and he clearly means business by bringing in the former Real Madrid, AC Milan and Bayern Munich coach.
He is looking to cast off the perception many outsiders hold that Everton are the 'plucky also-rans'.
It is 25 years since Everton last lifted silverware - the longest period in the club's history without a trophy - and if they are to challenge the so-called 'big six' again, they will need a manager who knows how to do it.
Many have questioned the appointment of Ancelotti, a manager who is thought of as someone who polishes already successful sides and is not used to getting his hands dirty by getting involved in projects which see him rebuilding a team currently in 16th position in the league.
Maybe the question is not what Ancelotti can do for Everton but what Everton can do for Ancelotti!
He is a proven serial trophy winner and he sets standards which others, including players, staff and board members, must aspire to and meet head on.
For Everton to return to football's top table they need a top manager and Moshiri will be well aware the club need to match his belief, mentality, actions and ambitions.
The Everton owner knows he has to deliver sooner rather than later. He did not buy the club and invest over £400m to underachieve.
He wants success and pinning his hopes on the appointment of an up-and-coming coach has not worked. 'Go big or go home' appears to be the order of the day on Merseyside now.
Ancelotti would not risk his reputation unless he believed the support, both financial and otherwise, was there. There are no guarantees with any managerial appointment anywhere but Moshiri is once again putting his money where his mouth is and going for glory.
For the long-suffering Evertonians, the arrival of the three-time Champions League and Premier League winner will reignite the hopes they had when Moshiri took control at Goodison Park.
If as expected, the Italian's arrival coincides with the formal application of planning permission to build a new stadium on the River Mersey, then they will start to dream all over again.
