Sean Dyche managed to convince Everton chiefs Bill Kenwright and Kevin Thelwell that he was the right fit for Everton as they took the lead role in identifying the club's next manager.
Dyche, who led Burnley for a decade, had been out of a job for just shy of 12 months before the Toffees came calling as they look to retain their Premier League status. Majority owner Farhad Moshiri doesn't appear to have been present in meetings with Kenwright and Thelwell, the club's sporting director.
The Iranian businessman has copped criticism for how he's run the club - and his preferred candidate for the role was reportedly Marcelo Bielsa. The former Leeds boss held talks with the Merseysiders, but negotiations did not prove productive and they moved on to Dyche - who impressed some of the leading lights.
Kenwright told the club's website: “Kevin 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.”
Moshiri's tenure at Goodison Park has not been a successful one despite millions being spent on new recruits. Last term Everton found themselves in a relegation battle and narrowly avoided the drop. Dyche will now be tasked with pulling off the same feat.
The Toffees, who lost their last outing against fellow strugglers West Ham, have only won three of their 20 league games this season and are sat in 19th spot. Their last win came in October but Dyche is confident the playing group are far better than they are showing and is determined to make a difference.
He said: “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.”
Dyche's first game in charge will be against league leaders Arsenal, who travel to Goodison Park, before they take on Liverpool. The Toffees will be without Anthony Gordon, who sealed a £45m switch to Newcastle after interest from Chelsea back in the summer.
