Everton have placed Mikel Arteta under serious consideration as they continue their search for a new manager.
The Blues have talked at length about making a move for the 37-year-old, who is currently assistant manager to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, but the club have yet to make a decision on the man they want.
A move for Carlo Ancelotti is also being discussed, while other candidates have also been put on the table, as majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri mulls over the appointment of a fourth permanent manager since he arrived at the club.
And now the ECHO has learned that Arteta is among the names being talked about at boardroom level.
The Spaniard became an Everton favourite during six-and-a-half-years of playing at Goodison and has emerged as a serious contender to replace Marco Silva, who was sacked last week.
Moshiri is conducting the search for the Portuguese coach's successor along with director of football Marcel Brands and chairman Bill Kenwright.
Vitor Pereira, who was seen as a heavy favourite to take the reigns in the immediate aftermath of Silva's dismissal, ruled himself out of the running earlier this week .
Unai Emery held informal meetings with the club recentl y but Everton's interest appears to have gone no further while David Moyes has also met with club chiefs .
Arteta is the latest name in the frame but the Blues could face competition from Arsenal, who are also hunting for a new boss following the axing of Emery.
The Man City No2 finished his playing career at Arsenal, having joined the Gunners from Everton in 2011, and is highly regarded at the Emirates Stadium and so Everton may need to act swiftly, should they decide to firm up their interest.
Should the Blues decide to go for Arteta then Brands' strong relationship with his Man City counterpart, Tixi Bergstein, could help smooth any negotiations.
Guardiola spoke about Arteta at this pre-match press conference today saying only the Spaniard can decide if he is ready to make the step up to management.
"You can be a 45-year-old and believe you’re not ready [to become a manager] and 35 and believe you’re ready," he said
"Only he knows.
"‘I’ve spoken about the situation a few weeks ago, there’s no more to add. I said two weeks ago, he’s got two weeks more experience, so he’s ready."
