According to reports in the Daily Star, Everton are ready to target Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paul Fonseca, along with other high-profile candidates, as owner Farhad Moshiri looks to find a younger dynamic coach to take the club forward with Sam Allardyce's future in serious doubt.

What's the word, then?

Well, the Merseyside outfit appointed Allardyce on a deal until 2019 back in November with the Toffees looking to be in serious danger of being relegated from the Premier League for the first time since the division's inauguration in 1992.

However, the former England boss has steered them up the table and away from the relegation zone, although they are still six points short of the 40-point mark that will surely guarantee their survival.

The Daily Star says that sources close to Moshiri have sounded out Fonseca, whose contract with the Ukrainian club runs out this summer as a potential successor, but the businessman is also targeting other candidates such as Luis Enrique and Diego Simeone.

Those two may not be realistic however considering the former last managed Barcelona and has been linked with Chelsea, while the latter only recently signed a new deal with Atletico Madrid.

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How has Fonseca done at Shakhtar?

He has been excellent, and it is no surprise that the 44-year-old is attracting interest from other clubs in Europe.

The Mozambique-born boss has won 62 of the 80 matches he has taken charge of with Shakhtar, losing just 10.

His team have scored 176 goals in that time and conceded 75, while his team are one of only three to beat Manchester City this season following their 2-1 success in the Champions League.

Would he be a good appointment for Everton?

He certainly would be, and would have more chance of helping the club progress and being popular with the fans than Allardyce will.

Fonseca is a good tactician and has shown that he knows how to get results and the best out of his side, and he is certainly a more realistic option than either Enrique or Simeone even if it is understandable that Moshiri wants to be ambitious if he is to replace the former England boss this summer.