For many, Carlo Ancelotti is the greatest manager of all time. That is what makes his tenure at Everton, no matter how short it was, truly mind-boggling.
The Italian has overseen some of Europe’s best across his legendary career, which has seen him become the the most successful manager in Champions League history.
So, when Everton owner Farhad Moshiri somehow tempted him to Goodison Park in 2019, the hope was that he might be able to build the Toffees towards some semblance of that kind of success.
We now know that such a dream did not come to fruition.
Alas, he did give Evertonians some of their best times in recent memory, having somehow steered his side to second in the Premier League at Christmas during his first full season.
As such, his word is gospel, even when speaking about somewhat maligned stars like Michael Keane.
What Carlo Ancelotti said about Michael Keane in 2022
Despite having endured a remarkable rise up the Premier League, having more than earned his move to Everton, a club-record fee of £30m seemed steep in hindsight.
And despite going on to amass 221 appearances and counting, on paper, it might look like smart business.
But his tenure in royal blue has been laden with high-profile gaffes, thus diminishing his reputation on Merseyside.
Unsurprisingly, his best-performing campaign came under Ancelotti’s rule, who actually made a bold claim about the former Burnley man in 2022 which has since become highly relevant again.
Written in The Athletic, it reminisces: ‘At this stage, there is an almost mythical quality to the big central defender’s prowess in the final third, which has led many — including former Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti — to call him the best finisher at the club.’
Michael Keane’s Everton career
This is a notion that had been somewhat slept on due to Keane’s absence from the first team last season, but has really re-emerged with a vengeance in recent months.
Everton manager Sean Dyche even recently noted, after his thunderous left-footed finish helped the Toffees to beat Ipswich Town: ‘All the players know what a good finisher Keano is. There’s a calmness to him and we see it all the time.’
To add to this, Dwight McNeil labelled Keane as one of Everton’s best finishers as well just last week.
Keane joined to great fanfare in 2017, and has struggled to live up to the weight of expectation that such a huge club and a mammoth price tag provided.
But, he has been an ever-present soldier for the Toffees, who is finally getting some flowers after so many tough years at Everton.
As always, the great Ancelotti was right.
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