When Carlo Ancelotti left Everton at the beginning of the week, it was a monumental shock.

The Italian had only just gotten started at Goodison Park but was now packing his bags and returning to the Bernabeu to manage his beloved Real Madrid.

An opportunity like that is far too good to turn down but it will have left Farhad Moshiri pulling his hair out.

This wasn’t the start to the summer the Toffees hierarchy will have envisaged. Transfer plans have been ripped apart and during a crucial period for the club, they are now unstable again.

Everton haven’t been afraid to pull the trigger on the likes of Marco Silva, Ronald Koeman and Roberto Martinez but Ancelotti was supposed to be the rescue act; a decorated head coach capable of taking them to new heights.

However, the Merseyside club cannot afford to panic.

They have drawn up a lengthy list of targets and have spoken to former Wolves boss Nuno Santo about the vacant position.

Though, they should strongly consider other options as well; namely Paulo Fonseca, who was linked with the job this week.

The Portuguese is set to be replaced by Jose Mourinho at Roma this summer and thus, will become a free agent.

At the age of 48, he is still a young coach but he’s achieved some fabulous things with both Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine.

He reached the semi-finals of the Europa League with Roma this term and knows what it takes to manage on the continental and domestic fronts at the same time.

On top of that, his methods and play style are “brave” in the words of Fonseca himself. He encourages his players to move the ball quickly and positively, ensuring a brand of swashbuckling attacking football.

Everton don’t always play with the handbrake off so this would be particularly encouraging for the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.

The Toffees only scored 47 goals this season, the worst number in the Premier League’s top ten and the same number as Southampton who finished in 15th place.

Fonseca could be game-changing in this regard, particularly if you take into account his success at Shakhtar.

He guided them to three consecutive top-flight titles and took plaudits from Pep Guardiola along the way.

“Before every game against Shakhtar, I have the same feeling,” the Manchester City boss said in 2017.

“The first time we face them in the group stage, my [scouting] team went to see them and they came back saying, ‘Wow.’ They were really impressed. In Barcelona all the time it was, ‘Shakhtar, Ukraine, who cares which players play, nobody knows them.’

“I can assure you it was one of the best teams in terms of playing football. It was so tough for me.”

Guardiola also focused on Shakhtar’s ability to create space in behind, something that could be beneficial for the quicker players in Everton’s front line.

During Fonseca’s spell in Ukraine, the attacking triumvirate of Taison, Marlos and Junior Moraes scored a combined 88 goals in three years.

With an eye-catching attitude to football, Moshiri could find worse Ancelotti replacements than Fonseca.

AND in other news, Everton may find a new Pienaar by signing 22y/o who can "torment defenders everywhere"...