As the club’s director of football, Marcel Brands inevitably plays a major role behind the scenes at Everton.
The Dutchman was appointed to his role in the summer of 2018, replacing former Leicester chief scout, Steve Walsh.
Upon his arrival, Farhad Moshiri paid a glowing tribute to Brands and what he could bring to the table. He said: “It was clear to me in our conversations that he shares in the vision we have for the club and he has much to contribute in making us better and more equipped to challenge the top teams.”
Just a few months later, some further restructuring occurred at Goodison Park, with former Bolton defender Gretar Steinsson appointed as the club’s chief European scout. And with Carlo Ancelotti heading into his first summer transfer window as Everton boss, this could prove to be a potentially big one for the Merseysiders.
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Ancelotti of course with his years of managerial experience at the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Milan, amongst others, will have a fairly in-depth knowledge of players plying their trades at the highest level in Europe.
And so rather than perhaps coming forward with his own targets in mind, Steinsson’s role could slightly change for this upcoming window. Liaising more closely with Ancelotti who has a proven reputation in the game could be the best bet for making new signings for Everton.
Steinsson and Brands will no doubt be aware of Ancelotti’s sizeable reputation and be a lot more accommodating if it came to players the Italian specifically wanted. After all, this is a manager who has seen it and done it all, including lifting the Champions League.
In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, Brands lauded Steinsson as a “pitbull” who “if he sees something and wants something he goes for it”. This time though, rather than simply being single-minded and going after players he wants, working with Ancelotti and formulating a plan could be key.
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Ancelotti has earned the reward of having a major input into the club’s transfer business, and so Steinsson’s remit may slightly change. He could have considerably less autonomy than before, but that doesn’t mean his importance will dwindle. In fact, he could be even more important this summer.
Having an extra big-hitter in Ancelotti in the conversation means there is a higher chance of some head butting. How Steinsson can work within that structure considering Brands’ description of him could define how Everton’s transfer window pans out.
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