At the start of this season, most observers would have predicted that both Everton and Southampton would finish in the Premier League top ten.

The Toffees, buoyed by procuring the Saints’ manager the previous summer, spent heavily and there was a buzz of excitement around the club. They had battled the odds for years and still bloodied a fair few noses so what could they do now they were on an even financial footing?

Meanwhile, Southampton carried on unperturbed by the departure of Koeman. Their business model has always centred around the absorption of key figures and the ability to reinvent themselves in light of that.

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It hasn’t worked out well for both sides, who have been forced into abandoning their foreign bosses in favour of the relative security of former Home Nations international managers Sam Allardyce and Mark Hughes.

They will both hope that proves enough to survive – and Southampton are undoubtedly in more danger than Everton right now – but the specture of one man looms on the horizon of both.

Marco Silva. The former Watford manager lingers as a tantalising prospect of what could be achieved if either club decides to ditch their short-term Brits in favour of a longer-term building project.

There is every chance he will be back on the radar of both sides in the summer so that is why we asked; which club would be the better choice?

54 per cent of fans believe that the Portuguese boss would be better off at Everton – potentially because their situation is less precarious as it stands – than at St Mary’s.

Check out the full results of the poll below…