Everton manager Sam Allardyce may have led the side to 14 points from the last 21 available to strengthen their hold on eighth position in the Premier League standings, but he still remains hugely unpopular with the majority of the Goodison Park faithful, who haven’t shied away from saying they want him gone on Twitter.
The 63-year-old has come under fire from supporters because of the team’s style of play and negative tactics on occasions, but the former England boss has certainly done the job that he was brought to Merseyside to do when they were struggling in November, lifting them away from danger.
His future remains unclear however with some reports suggesting he will go, while the man himself has hinted that he is set to stay following positive talks about the future with owner Farhad Moshiri.
While there has been much vitriol for Allardyce from the stands – and probably a few of the players who haven’t been getting in the starting XI on a regular basis, too – there will also be a few individuals that are enjoying playing under him and believe him remaining at Goodison Park would be the best thing for their Toffees careers.
Here are three Everton players that will be praying Allardyce stays this summer…
It has been a tough debut season for the centre-back at Goodison Park, who was perhaps affected by the big price tag on his head earlier in the campaign when he was struggling for form and confidence.
However, rather than casting him aside Allardyce chose to keep the faith with the 25-year-old in his backline, and the Toffees boss has been rewarded in recent weeks with the England international beginning to recapture the form that saw him called up for his national side in the first place.
The former Burnley defender will be confident that he will be a first-choice pick under Allardyce next term, which may not be the case if they bring in a manager who wants more than one new central defender – that could well be on the cards depending on the futures of Phil Jagielka, Ashley Williams and Ramiro Funes Mori.
The Frenchman has come under severe criticism from the Goodison Park faithful for some of his below-par displays at times this season, with Everton fans on Twitter categorically saying they wanted him gone back in March.
However, Allardyce stuck up for the 28-year-old when he was booed after coming on as a substitute, and he has kept faith with him in the middle of the park in recent weeks with his form gradually improving.
The 63-year-old boss obviously told Schneiderlin that he believed in him – which is important for any player to hear – and he is now being repaid by his displays on the pitch, and the midfielder would be more than happy for his manager to stay this summer so he can be a regular next term, too.
The winger chose to leave Arsenal during the January transfer window as he went in search of regular starts and first-team minutes, and that is exactly what he has got at Goodison Park.
Walcott knows that he has a manager who believes in him – he picked him for the one match he was in charge of England for despite the fact he wasn’t playing too often for the Gunners at the time – and one that will give him attacking freedom.
The 29-year-old already has three goals and three assists in 13 appearances for the Merseyside outfit, and he will be hoping Allardyce stays so he can continue to produce those kinds of statistics.
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