Everton supporters have been very glum in the Transfer Tavern this week after seeing their side’s woeful Premier League away run continue courtesy of a 1-0 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

Sam Allardyce’s men went into their clash in Hertfordshire having managed just one win from their 13 away league matches this term, picking up a paltry eight points along the way. And the Toffees were unable to record a second success on the road on Saturday as Troy Deeney’s effort 11 minutes from time was enough to determine a drab encounter at Vicarage Road, a result which moved Javi Gracia’s Hornets to within a point of ninth-placed Everton in the Premier League table.

Thus, there have been many angry Evertonians in the Tavern in recent times, several of whom are already turning their attentions towards this weekend’s trip to Burnley, where the Toffees will again have the chance to improve that dreadful away form with victory at Turf Moor.

In the meantime though, there has been much for our resident Everton fans to get their teeth into, not least recent reports suggesting that Allardyce could well be axed by owner Farhad Moshiri in the summer.

The 63-year-old replaced the sacked Ronald Koeman back in November and made a fine start to life at Goodison Park with four wins and three draws from his opening seven games, yet things have gone awry since then with just two victories in eight matches.

And it appears that the former England chief could well be replaced over the summer for a ‘more dynamic coach’, with former Watford chief Marco Silva one name reportedly in the mix for the role.

Yet the Toffees hierarchy should forget about the 40-year-old, and seek to appoint one of these THREE managers instead…

Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta spent six years at Everton between 2005 and 2011, playing 206 times for the Toffees, netting 35 goals and laying on 33 assists in the process.

And having spent the last few years as an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the 35-year-old may well be ready to move into management – he has recently been linked with the Arsenal job were that to be vacated by Arsene Wenger in the near future.

Yet Arteta knows Everton and what it’s about while the former midfielder would also be a fan favourite at Goodison Park, and as such would already be one-up on current boss Allardyce, who has never really been accepted by the Toffees faithful.

The 35-year-old could be exactly the sort of long-term appointment Moshiri is after, and as such could be the ideal man to replace Allardyce during the close season.

Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe has done a remarkable job at Bournemouth, taking the Cherries from League One back in 2012 to a top-half Premier League finish last season, and thus an established top-flight club.

The 40-year-old has won many admirers for the work he has done at the Vitality Stadium and indeed the style of football he utilises to go about it, to the point that he is another who has been linked with the Arsenal job in recent times.

Clearly, Howe has done more than enough to earn himself a job at a top club in the Premier League, and with the Toffees highly unlikely to go down, he would surely be afforded the time and the resources to build a successful side at Goodison Park.

Diego Simeone

An ambitious choice maybe, but there has been talk that owner Moshiri plans to lure Diego Simeone away from Atletico Madrid to take over at Everton.

The former Argentina international has done a remarkable job at the Spanish outfit in taking them to the La Liga title back in 2014 as well as to two Champions League finals in 2014 and 2016, only to fall short at the hands of city rivals Real.

Nonetheless, Simeone’s stock has risen ten-fold and is likely to be linked with every top club that becomes available in the coming months and years – it would thus be a huge coup and a massive statement of intent by the Toffees were they to convince him to move to Goodison Park.