Everton have sacked manager Sean Dyche ahead of their FA Cup third round tie against Peterborough on Thursday, 9th January.
Dyche’s time at Goodison Park is up after Everton decided to fire the 53-year-old after two consecutive Premier League defeats to Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth. The club have confirmed that Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman will take charge of the team for Thursday’s FA Cup tie with Peterborough.
A club statement read: “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 under way 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.”
Dyche was brought in to steer Everton out of relegation trouble after Frank Lampard left the club languishing in 19th place in the Premier League table. His appointment bore fruit immediately, as the former Burnley boss secured Everton’s top-flight status with a crucial 1-0 victory over Bournemouth on the final day of the 2022-23 season. In the following campaign, despite facing two separate points deductions, Dyche managed to keep the team well above the relegation zone, earning plaudits for his resilience and tactical approach. However, the current season has proven to be more challenging, with key departures and injuries hampering the team’s progress.
This season began on a difficult note for Everton, with the departure of star midfielder Amadou Onana during the summer transfer window. Compounding the problem was the prolonged injury absence of centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, leaving the team with defensive vulnerabilities. Despite Dyche’s efforts to stabilize the team, results on the pitch remained elusive, and pressure mounted on the manager. His position was further put under scrutiny following the takeover of the club by the Friedkin Group.
In one of his final statements as Everton manager, Dyche reflected on his tenure and the challenges faced under his leadership.
“It’s a strange situation here because on the one hand, you’re not winning as many games and everyone is saying ‘why aren’t you winning more games?’,” he said. “On the other hand, you’re looking at the bigger picture and going ‘Yeah, I’m very proud of my part, although it’s not just me, but I’m very proud of that. That’ll never change regardless of what my future is here, that will never change.”
Everton’s immediate focus will be their FA Cup third-round tie against Peterborough, which takes place tonight at Goodison Park. Following the cup fixture, the Toffees will prepare for their next Premier League game against Aston Villa on Wednesday and continue their search for a new manager.
