German Report Claims Everton Were Snubbed by Thomas Tuchel Before Hiring Sam Allardyce

Everton reportedly missed out on preferred managerial candidate Thomas Tuchel before hiring Sam Allardyce because the German wanted his return to football to be with a 'top club'.

The Toffees were heavily linked with an approach for Tuchel, who surprisingly left Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season, in the wake of Ronald Koeman's dismissal in October.

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But a report from Bild in Germany has revealed that the 44-year-old turned down the opportunity to head to Goodison Park as he was seemingly aiming higher.

Despite the money that majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri ploughed into transfers last summer, Everton had slipped into the Premier League relegation zone by the time Koeman was shown the door and it appears that it was not a challenge Tuchel was willing to accept.

He had earlier been talked about as a candidate for Bayern Munich after Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in December and remains linked with Bundesliga leaders given that interim coach Jupp Heynckes is expected to retire for a second time at the end of the season.

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Having initially made his name at Mainz, Tuchel took over from Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund in the summer of 2015 and proceeded to win the DFB Pokal in his second season. He held strained relationships with many at the club, though, including chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke.

With Tuchel off the table, Everton eventually hired Allardyce on 30th November, taking over from interim boss David Unsworth around five weeks after Koeman had left the club.

Results have been mixed under the former England manager. The Toffees went unbeaten in Allardyce's first seven games in all competitions, winning four of them, but then lost five of the next seven, including FA Cup elimination at the hands of local rivals Liverpool.

Ultimately, the 63-year-old has overseen an improvement, with Everton now 9th in the Premier League standings and clear of the relegation scrap in the bottom half.

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