Bolton boss the big mover to be next Everton manager

The ever-fluctuating next Everton manager market has seen yet another name come to the fore, with the odds on Dougie Freedman shortening at breakneck speed.

The Bolton boss is now amongst the meat and gravy of potential candidates with an influx of bets on the Scot taking his price from the astronomically ridiculous to 5/1.

Freedman has enjoyed a rapidly rising stock in the management game following impressive stints at Crystal Palace and Bolton, where he carried both clubs from the lower reaches of the Championship into play-off contention.

The Eagles are indebted to their former coach for winning a place in the play-off final, while the Trotters were desperately unlucky to miss out on a crack at the post-season lottery courtesy of results conspiring against them on the final day.

However, whether he is a genuine contender to replace David Moyes remains to be seen. If the money coming for Freedman is based around people incorrectly connecting the dots of a) he’s a budding lower league manager and b) he’s Scottish so will, er go, fit the current Everton mould perfectly, remains to be seen.

Having deserted Palace halfway through the previous campaign to join Bolton, it would come as a bit of a surprise if Freedman was on the move so suddenly and it’s the application of this logic that points to a bet on Vitor Perreira at 25/1.

The Porto coach is on the cusp of completing the club’s second undefeated league campaign in three seasons and, having worked closely with in-vogue manager Andre Villas-Boas, his approach to the game is something that all big Premier League sides seem to crave of late.

This, however, is far removed from the traditional values of Moyes’ style of play, which could deter the Everton recruitment team who will not want to alter their current infrastructure too much after 11-years stability.

Still, there is likely to be host of elite establishments courting Perreira and, if he fancies a switch to England’s top flight, the Toffees represent his best chance of securing a move.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date