According to reports in The Sun on Sunday, Republic of Ireland boss Martin O’Neill is at the top of Everton's three-man shortlist to be their new manager.

What's the word, then?

Well, after admitting defeat in their pursuit of Watford's Marco Silva, The Sun on Sunday says that O'Neill is top of a three-man shortlist to succeed Ronald Koeman almost five weeks after the Dutchman was sacked.

The Sun on Sunday says that former West Bromwich Albion chief Tony Pulis and caretaker boss David Unsworth are also in the running, but the latter's hopes of being given the role on a full-time basis may be dead following the 5-1 and 4-1 defeats to Atalanta and Southampton over the course of the last few days.

The report says that while O'Neill is majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri's first-choice option, the 65-year-old is likely to want a long-term deal instead of just filling in for the rest of the season.

Why does Moshiri want O'Neill?

Well, the experienced Irishman will probably be seen as something of a safe option for Everton as they look to avoid being involved in a relegation battle in the latter stages of this season.

The 65-year-old enjoyed good spells with Leicester City, Celtic and Aston Villa before a more underwhelming spell with Sunderland, and he has managed the Republic of Ireland since 2013, winning 18 of 46 matches he has been in charge of.

However, he failed to lead them to the 2018 World Cup as Denmark beat them 5-1 on aggregate earlier this month.

Would he be a good appointment?

It's difficult to say.

The fact that O’Neill wasn't particularly successful in his last club management role with the Black Cats would be a worry, as is the fact that he hasn't been a Premier League boss for almost five years.

The 65-year-old also showed his tactical naivety in the 5-1 defeat against Denmark, with his team selection in the second leg of the play-off fixture completely wrong.