Top-5 names in the frame for the Everton job

The betting to become the Next Everton Manager Market is hotting up nicely with a whole host of gaffers in contention to succeed the sacked Roberto Martinez, whose three-year spell came to an end last week. The Toffees may have endured two disappointing seasons on the pitch, but off it the club's new majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, is prepared to splash the cash in the summer, which is sure to attract a number of suitors.

Frank de Boer

• Odds: 7/4 with Betfred
• Current Status: Soon to be unemployed
• Former Job(s): Ajax
• Managerial Achievements: Four Eredivisie titles with Ajax

Frank de Boer was being hotly linked with Everton even before the sacking of Martinez, and as it stands he is the 7/4 favourite to venture off to Goodison Park this summer. Rumours linking the Dutchman with the Toffees have only intensified since Martinez's departure, while De Boer himself has announced that he will leave Ajax after the club's tour of China comes to a close.

Last Wednesday De Boer called an end to his five-and-a-half-year tenure with the Dutch giants after missing out on a fifth successive Eredivisie title on the final day of last season. Now, the 45-year-old, who has also been linked with Inter Milan and Valencia, now appears to have ambitions of making a name for himself in the Premier League, and Everton could prove to be a cracking fit, or so his twin brother Ronald believes anyway.

Ronald Koeman

• Odds: 4/1 with Sky Bet
• Current Status: Southampton Manager
• Former Job(s): Feyenoord, AZ, Valencia, PSV, Benfica, Ajax & Vitesse
• Managerial Achievements: Eredivisie x3, Copa del Rey, KNVB Cup, Portuguese Super Cup, back-to-back record points tallies with Southampton

Another manager that's seen his name in the frame for the Everton job is Southampton boss Ronald Koeman who's enjoyed another superb season with the Saints. Sunday's final day 4-1 hammering of Crystal Palace means the Hampshire club have broken their best ever Premier League points tally for the second successive season under the Dutchman, while they could even finish 5th, if Man Utd fail to beat Bournemouth, although 6th spot will still be their highest ever standing, while they will be in the Europa League next term.

Koeman, whose contract expires next summer, has so far not shown any signs that he is keen to jet off to Everton, and the Saints will no doubt be doing everything possible to ensure he stays at St Mary's. It's Exciting times on the south coast and we feel Koeman is unlikely to leave for the Toffees this summer, but you never know…

Manuel Pellegrini

• Odds: 10/1 with Betfair
• Current Status: Set to leave Man City in next couple of weeks.
• Former Job(s): Malaga, Real Madrid, Villarreal, River Plate, San Lorenzo
• Managerial Achievements: Premier League, League Cup x2, Primera Division, Serie A

Manuel Pellegrini looks a very tempting bet at 10/1 with Betfair. The Chilean has just finished his third and final season with Man City, but has stated he is keen to stay in England, and in terms of location the vastly experienced 62-year-old is only a short distance away from Merseyside.

City may not have had the best of league seasons, but they still qualified for the Champions League, won the League Cup, and progressed through to the semi-finals of Europe's elite football event. Pellegrini has also been linked with PSG and Zenit, but a move to Everton is by no means out of the question.

Jose Mourinho

• Odds: 12/1 with Betfair
• Current Status: Unemployed
• Former Job(s): Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Porto, U.D. Leiria, Benfica
• Managerial Achievements: Champions League x3, Premier League x3, La Liga, Serie A x2, Primeira Liga x2, Uefa Cup

The Man Utd/Jose Mourinho saga still has shown no signs of coming to an end, and if United hoist the FA Cup on Saturday the club could decide to stick with LVG for the third and final year of his contract…

Mourinho has now been touted as a shock contender for the Everton vacancy, and can currently be backed at 12/1, having previously been out at 33/1 last week. Landing the Portuguese coach would be a massive coup for the club, however it's a difficult one to envision this coming to fruition, with United and PSG standing in the way.

Eddie Howe

• Odds: 28/1 with Betfair
• Current Status: Bournemouth Manager
• Former Job(s): Burnley
• Managerial Achievements: Championship title, League One & League Two promotion, Football League Manager of the Decade (2005-2015), LMA Manager of the Year (2015)

Many expected Bournemouth to drop straight back down to the Championship but Eddie Howe's troops have been a breath of fresh air in their debut season in the top-flight, and a win in their final game at Man Utd could see them finish 14th - a fantastic achievement.

Howe may be out at 28/1 in the betting to become the next Everton gaffer, but he's our pick of the outsiders. The talented young boss, just 38, supported the club as a boy, and would no doubt be a popular choice in the dugout. However, it's worth remembering that his last venture to the North West, with Burnley, didn't go so well, although since returning to the south coast he has worked wonders with the Cherries.