Next Everton manager: Clear frontrunner emerges as official Sean Dyche club statement released

The Friedkin Group have wielded the axe on Sean Dyche as Everton manager.

Dyche departs just under two years after taking the Goodison Park - only hours before the Toffees face Peterborough United in the FA Cup third round. A club statement said: Everton Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as senior men’s first-team manager with immediate effect. Ian Woan, Steve Stone, Mark Howard and Billy Mercer have also left the club.

“The process to appoint a new manager is underway and an update will be provided in due course. under-18s head coach Leighton Baines and club captain Seamus Coleman will take charge of first-team affairs on an interim basis.”

Everton sit only one point above the Premier League relegation zone after a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth last weekend. They’ve managed just three league wins in 19 games and scored a meagre 15 goals. Dyche kept the Blues in the top flight on the final day of the campaign when arriving in January 2023 and ensured survival last season despite the club being hit with an eight-point penalty for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules.

However, results and performances have been lacklustre for the majority of the season, with Everton failing to register a single shot on target at Bournemouth. Dyche did hold a pre-match press conference on Tuesday to preview the Peterborough game but The Friedkin Group - who completed a takeover of Everton last month - have opted to act.

Former Toffees manager David Moyes has been heavily linked to replace Dyche and is the bookmakers’ favourite. Moyes spent 11 years in the Goodison Park hot seat between 2002-2013 and is out of work after departing West Ham at the end of last season.

Jose Mourinho had been favourite before Dyche was relieved of his futies.. The ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid boss is currently in charge of Turkish side Fenerbahce. Mourinho worked under The Friedkin Group at AS Roma but they sacked him from the role a year ago.

Graham Potter had been a reported option to take the job before opting to take charge of West Ham United.