Everton chief insists Frank Lampard was 'clear choice' as manager as recruitment process explained

Everton chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale insists Frank Lampard was the “clear choice” to be the club’s new manager after the recruitment process.

Following Rafa Benitez’s sacking after the 2-1 defeat to bottom of the table Norwich City, leaving Everton with just one win from their last 13 matches in the Premier League, several names were linked with the vacancy.

Within a couple of hours after Professor Barrett-Baxendale had delivered the news to 61-year-old Benitez that he had been relieved of his duties, many Blues fans were struggling to digest reports that Roberto Martinez – the man Farhad Moshiri had dismissed just weeks after taking control of the club back in 2016 – was being lined up for a surprise return.

The ECHO understands Everton were asking the Belgium FA about releasing Martinez from his deal or whether they would agree to the Catalan combining both roles but Belgium made it clear they were not interested in losing their coach during a World Cup year.

Frank Lampard has one phone call he must make now he's Everton manager

Frank Lampard knows the ideal formation to get the best from his two new Everton recruits

There were also concerns that Portuguese journeyman Vitor Pereira – a coach with no experience of the English game whose only foray into one of Europe’s big five football nations was taking 1860 Munich down from the German second division – was also in the mix.

Such reservations were hardly allayed by a telephone call by the Portuguese to Sky Sports News broadcast live while the interview process was still ongoing which seemed awkward and desperate.

In the end though, Lampard appears to be a generally popular selection among the fanbase following the hugely-controversial and