Fresh twist: David Ornstein drops huge Everton manager claim that'll have fans buzzing - opinion

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has dropped a fresh twist in Everton’s hunt for a new manager…

Reports in recent days had suggested that former Porto boss Vitor Pereira was the man leading the race to replace Rafa Benitez on a permanent basis, but it now appears that Frank Lampard has once again come into consideration following a significant development.

Writing initially on Twitter, Ornstein said: “Amid a mixed reaction reaction to reports of Vitor Pereira’s potential appointment as Everton boss, understand a final decision has yet to be made by #EFC owner Farhad Moshiri and Frank Lampard is still very much in contention for the job.”

The fact that Toffees fans took to protesting about Pereira’s potential appointment as the club’s new manager speaks volumes about just how much they disagreed with Moshiri’s first choice.

Ornstein’s update that the reaction to Pereira’s possible hiring has seemingly impacted the decision to appoint him is sure to be a major relief to Everton fans, while revealing Lampard is still “very much in contention” is a double boost.

And on Twitter, a move for Lampard was backed by The Telegraph’s Matt Law, who said: “Sure I’ll get stick on Twitter for this but surely Lampard is the obvious choice for Everton. Fans seem to want him, track record in English football, can communicate ideas quickly + make instant impact. Not only proved he can use youth but has also made good transfer decisions

“Qualifying for and managing in the CL, also getting to an FA Cup final, seems plenty qualified for the Everton job to me. Yes, Chelsea were ninth when they had sacked him after 19 games, but they had been in top 3 for first 11 games of that season.”

Lampard’s time with Chelsea and Derby has seen him pick up