LIVERPOOL, England: Troubled English Premier League (EPL) club Everton sacked manager Sean Dyche early this morning, a few hours before the FA Cup third round match against Peterborough.
Speculation over Dyche’s future has intensified with reports suggesting Everton’s new owners, US-based Friedkin Group, have been talking about a potential successor since completing a £400 million takeover last month.
Everton said in a statement that Dyche “has been relieved of his duties as manager of the men’s senior first team with immediate effect” after two years in charge, as the process of appointing a new boss begins.
The Toffees are once again struggling to avoid relegation from the EPL after winning just once in their last 11 matches, with the sole victory coming against relegation candidates Wolves last December.
Everton Under-18 head coach Leighton Baines and captain Seamus Coleman took charge of the team on a temporary basis against third-tier Peterborough in the FA Cup as the Liverpool club search for a permanent replacement for Dyche.
Former Manchester United and Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who now manages Turkish club Fenerbahce, has been linked with Everton recently.
Mourinho has experience working under the Friedkin Group at AS Roma, although the Italian club fired him less than a year ago.
David Moyes, who managed Everton between 2002 and 2013, former England manager Gareth Southgate, Brentford boss Thomas Frank and Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola have also been tipped as possible replacements for Dyche.
Everton have won just three of their 19 league games this season and are stranded in 16th place, with just one point separating them from the relegation zone.
Dyche has been in charge of Everton since January 2023 and has kept them in the top flight despite a number of issues, including a points deduction last season for breaching the EPL’s profit and sustainability rules.
Dyche, who is in the final year of his contract at Everton, is the sixth manager to lose his job in the Premier League this season.