Sean Dyche has been confirmed as the new manager of Everton.
Former Burnley boss Dyche has been out of work since last April, when his highly-successful 10-year stint at Turf Moor came to an end. But he is now back in the Premier League, tasked with dragging the Toffees away from relegation trouble, signing a deal until 2025.
Dyche, 51, replaces Frank Lampard at Goodison Park, having emerged as the unanimous choice among the club’s board. Owner Farhad Moshiri had initially been keen to hire Marcelo Bielsa, who flew in for talks, but meetings with the former Leeds United manager saw the Argentine declare that he preferred to take over the first team in the summer, questioning whether his methods would have the required immediate effect.
Simultaneous conversations with Dyche saw the ex-Clarets chief lay out his plans for how to drag the club out of trouble and his assessment of the club’s current situation. Mirror Football understands he particularly impressed Director of Football Kevin Thelwell, and left the board believing that he was the outstanding candidate after two interviews, in which he provided an in-depth analysis of the squad, its strengths and weaknesses.
Dyche said: “It’s an honour to become Everton manager. My staff and I are ready and eager to help get this great club back on track.
“I know about Everton’s passionate fanbase and how precious this club is to them. We’re ready to work and ready to give them what they want.
"That starts with sweat on the shirt, effort and getting back to some of the basic principles of what Everton Football Club has stood for for a long time.
“We want to bring back a good feeling. We need the fans, we need unity and we need everyone aligned. That starts with us as staff and players. Our aim is to put out a team that works, that fights and wears the badge with pride. The connection with the fans can then grow very quickly because they’re so passionate. There is quality in this squad. But we have to make them shine. That’s the job of me and my staff.
“We want to change the shape of this club going forward, remodel it in our style, but in a way that we can win. That's the task in front of us - make sure we're building, tactically and technically, giving players organisation, allow them the freedom to play, to go and enjoy their football because it's brilliant when the team's playing with a smile, but we've got to win.”
Infamously, Dyche publicly admitted last season after Burnley had turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win over Everton that his half-time team talk had simply been: “I said to them ‘I'm not sure these know how to win a game.’"
That inability to win matches on a regular basis has remained this term, with only three wins in 20 league games. That is a culture Dyche will need to tackle head on.
Everton chairman Bill Kenwright said: “Kevin [Thelwell] and I spent some valuable time with Sean over the past few days and he quickly convinced me that he has exactly the right attributes to make himself a great Everton manager – and a man who could inspire our fanbase. And Farhad felt the same when he met him, too.”
One of his first assignments will be to figure out how to replace young prospect Anthony Gordon, after a £45million deal was agreed with Newcastle United on Friday afternoon and completed on Sunday.
England Under-21 international Gordon, who was absent from training three times this week, returned to the club's Finch Farm training ground on Friday morning where he made clear his desire to leave the club in the current transfer window. Gordon had been at Everton since 2012 and scored seven goals in 65 games since making his debut in 2020.
The 21-year-old heads to St James' Park, in a move worth an initial £40million, with a further £5million in add-ons. That initial £40m will ALL be paid upfront, rather than, as is more usual, spread out over the course of his contract. Everton also insisted Gordon hand in a formal transfer request before agreeing to the terms of the deal.
Dyche gave his OK to the transfer and is set to be backed in the transfer market before tomorrow's deadline, with the club hoping to make at least two signings before its close. A forward is understood to be wanted, while a midfielder is also being targeted.
Everton currently sit 19th in the Premier League table. Dyche will make his bow in when they host league leaders Arsenal on February 4.
