Everton will thrash out contract details with Sean Dyche on Friday, as they look to appoint him as their new manager before the weekend.
On a dramatic morning in their search to replace Frank Lampard, the former Burnley manager emerged as the unanimous choice for the club, with owner Farhad Moshiri ultimately choosing Dyche to guide the Blues out of relegation trouble.
Moshiri held meetings with Marcelo Bielsa, but it has emerged that the former Leeds boss didn’t want to assume control of the first team UNTIL the summer.
Remarkably, the Argentine manager suggested an extraordinary situation where he would arrive at Goodison to work with the U21 team and youth structure, but an interim would manage the senior side until the end of the season.
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Bielsa apparently suggested it would take too long at this stage in the season for his methods to work with a first team which he believes is unsuited to his approach and style.
Everton are deep in relegation trouble, and the club needs their new manager to hit the ground running, so Bielsa’s extraordinary proposal was rejected by Moshiri.
Instead, he has turned to Dyche, after the former Burnley manager impressed in talks with the club. It is understood he swiftly won over Director of Football Kevin Thelwell, in several conversations with the football chief.
There is a groundswell of opinion behind Dyche at the club, as he demonstrated a clear-headed assessment of the team’s position, and a route to guide them out of their current position in the relegation zone.
But the deal will now depend on the contract details, with the incoming manager understandably suggesting he requires the security of a long term contract to effectively turn around a team that has been drifting towards the Premier League danger zone for two seasons.
It is understood a cautious Moshiri wants to offer a short term contract initially, as Dyche is tasked with fighting off the threat of relegation which would threaten the fabric of the club.
But a deal of two and a half years is on the cards, with the incoming boss offered a generous bonus if he can steer Everton to safety.
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