The worst-kept secret in football has been confirmed.
Sean Dyche is the new Everton manager. So what is the 51-year-old like? Maybe not quite as you would have thought.
The 51-year-old has a reputation for being a bit of a 'tough guy' in the world of football and Dyche definitely is someone who takes no nonsense from players and journalists, but he also is very down to earth and approachable.
Despite establishing Burnley as a Premier League club for the best part of a decade, Dyche was relieved of his duties at Turf Moor in April 2022 and has been out of work since. But now he sees the Everton job as the perfect one to get his eye back in - and he certainly knows what it takes to keep a side in the division.
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'He'll definitely get the players running' is something you so often hear when Dyche is talked about because he believes in hard work getting you out of bad situations - and that is what the Blues will be relying on as they attempt to beat the drop.
Dyche's style of football was often criticised at Burnley, but it kept them in the Premier League and earned them wins at Anfield, Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford and the Emirates. Let's not forget about the Clarets' European adventure, also. Everton can only dream of that at the moment.
I had the pleasure of being able to experience many of Dyche's pre-match press conferences at Burnley's Gawthorpe training ground on a Thursday afternoon. But he was always reluctant to get on to the football chatter.
You certainly knew when he was in the room as his booming voice filled it, and he wanted to talk to everyone. Never would you get the feeling he was in a bad mood like you would with other managers. Although, he definitely wasn't shy in letting journalists know if they'd asked a stupid question or not.
Dyche would much prefer to talk about his favourite Netflix series at the time and to discuss what music he was into than get into what was happening with football. He is very much into the Manchester scene of The Stone Roses and the like - I can thank my dad for me being familiar with them!
One particular moment always sticks out to me and that was when I turned up at Gawthorpe, ready to face Dyche and I had a broken hand. As I went to place my phone on his desk for recording, he paid particular interest into what had happened before questions commenced. It's the small things that make you realise he is just a normal person outside of the crazy football world.
Dan Jewell of BBC Lancashire was often referred to as "Beardy" - just because of his long beard. Dyche liked to have a laugh and joke with the journalists when he could. He often spoke about his children - he has a son and a daughter - and what they were up to, but once the cameras turned on, his personality switched and his game face was on.
Questions had to be carefully picked because you knew he would be on to you if you asked one that he didn't like or that he thought was rubbish.
His press conferences never were, though, and neither were his Burnley teams. Everton have made a very astute appointment. He is someone who knows exactly what the Blues need.
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Sean Dyche has already highlighted the huge issue he has to solve at Everton
