Former Chelsea legendary icon and manager Frank Lampard has been touted as an alternative option if Everton are unable for any reason to prise supposed first choice replacement Roberto Martinez away from Belgium.
Martinez has surprisingly emerged as the overwhelming first choice to succeed Rafael Benitez, who was finally given his marching papers on Sunday after a miserable six months in the job without any light in the long, dark tunnel of his tenure.
Understandably, and to his credit, the Belgian FA are not at all predisposed to the thought of releasing Martinez and are expected to put up a tenacious fight to hold onto the Spaniard, who has more than exonerated himself by leading them to the top of the FIFA world rankings in his five-and-a-half years in charge.
While Martinez is believed to be keen in making a return to Everton, despite having been given the sack by them in 2016, the Merseysiders are also said to be considering other options, with out-of-work Lampard among the names in contention.
The former Chelsea gaffer – out of work since being given the axe by Roman Abramovich almost a year ago – has made it clear that he is all prepped up and ready to return to management, having spoken to various clubs in recent months.
He was a candidate for the vacancies at Norwich and Aston Villa and revealed his intentions in an interview with Gary Neville last month.
“I want to work,” he said. “I’m ready to work. I’ve enjoyed parts of being out of the game.
“It has given me a lot of reflection to use that to plan for the future so I’m ready to work and I’m excited about it and I miss it.”