Kieran Maguire salutes Everton after ‘vital’ behind-the-scenes hire completed
Everton have done well to appoint a communications manager who understands the fans in David Prentice.
So says finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the unenviable task on the former Toffees journalist’s hands.
The Daily Mail reported on Monday (24 January) that Prentice will join the club next month.
He has covered the club for over 35 years but from the outside looking in, and he arrives at a turbulent time.
Everton are on the lookout for a new manager after the dismissal of Rafael Benitez earlier this month.
Pet BBC Sport yesterday (27 January), they will hold final talks today with Frank Lampard, Vitor Pereira and caretaker boss Duncan Ferguson.
Maguire insists that it is “vital” to have someone who understands the supporters’ “psyche” during an unstable period for the club.
“Communication and engagement are vital,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“Also, understanding the fans’ psyche. We’ve seen the reaction from some elements of Everton’s fanbase to the negotiations with Pereira.
“They were quite vocal and expressed severe disappointment. So to have someone that can go in and engage and explain things to people is good.
“He won’t necessarily be successful in convincing people, but they tend to appreciate the effort. Other times, you just get shouted down.
“But he understands Evertonians and can maybe read the room better than someone who is coming in cold.”
Everton are 16th in the Premier League table, four points above the drop zone.
Owner Farhad Moshiri has reaffirmed his commitment and recently converted £100million worth of loans into equity to expand his power base.
In other news, pundit suggests Everton could get relegated after “terrible” Abdoulaye Doucoure news.