'Pereira OUT, Lampard IN': Everton fans graffiti a wall at Goodison in protests

Furious Everton fans have ramped up protests over the impending appointing of Vitor Pereira as the new Toffees manager by graffitiing a wall at Goodison Park and protesting outside club offices in Liverpool.

An Everton fan account on Twitter - The Toffee Blues - shared an image of the graffiti at the stadium, which reads: 'Pereira out, Lampard in' after news, reported by Sportsmail, emerged that the Portuguese coach was closing in on replacing Rafa Benitez.

Another fan group called the 27yearscampaign - a reference to Everton's time without silverware - protested outside the Royal Liver Building where club offices are based. They are calling for owner Farhad Moshiri to engage with the club's supporters and held up banners reading: 'Moshiri if you want success then change this mess'.

Pereira has held talks with Everton in London and impressed the club's hierarchy, with Moshiri looking to make a 'forward-thinking' appointment.

But he appears to be causing the same uproar seen last summer when Everton appointed Liverpool favourite Benitez as manager.

Benitez was sacked earlier in January after a dramatic slide in form that saw Everton record just one win in 13 matches, with Frank Lampard and Toffees hero Wayne Rooney linked with replacing him.

But Sportsmail reported on Sunday that Pereira, who has twice been interviewed for the Everton job before, had emerged as a serious contender for the vacancy.

Pereira has won nine trophies during his managerial career, the most eye-catching being the two Portuguese league titles with Porto in 2012 and 2013.

His most recent job was at Turkish club Fenerbahce but was sacked in December 2021, six months after taking the job on a two-year deal, with the team 14 points off first place.

Lampard, meanwhile, has been out of work for a year after being sacked by Chelsea.

It is a move that has been vindicated by the London club with successor Thomas Tuchel leading them to Champions League glory but Lampard blooded a number of young players who have established themselves as key men at Stamford Bridge.

Sportsmail reported on Tuesday night that only a late U-turn would scupper Pereira's hopes of landing the Goodison Park job.

It remains to be seen if owner Moshiri wants to risk further distancing himself from the fanbase.

Everton are 16th in the Premier League table. four points above the bottom three but face a huge clash with 18th-place Newcastle in their next league match on February 8.