Everton dismisses Sean Dyche hours before FA Cup match, search for new manager begins

Sean Dyche is the sixth overall dismissal of the Premier League season.

Everton Football Club has parted ways with manager Sean Dyche after less than two years in charge. The announcement came just hours before the team’s FA Cup third-round match against Peterborough United at Goodison Park, which the Toffees went on to win by 2-0.

"Everton Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as senior men's first team manager with immediate effect," the club said in a statement.

Dyche’s departure was accompanied by the dismissal of four members of his coaching staff, including Ian Woan, Steve Stone, Mark Howard, and Billy Mercer.

The decision follows Everton’s 1-0 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday, leaving the team 16th in the Premier League, only 1 point above the relegation zone. Everton failed to register a shot on target during the match and have won only three of their 19 league games this season.

Sources close to the Friedkin Group, which acquired Everton late last year in a £400 million takeover, indicated that discussions about Dyche’s future had been ongoing earlier in the week. Both parties reportedly agreed that it was time for a change, and negotiations over Dyche’s exit package were concluded before the announcement.

Club insiders suggest that Everton’s management is prioritizing candidates with Premier League experience for the vacant managerial role. Former Everton manager David Moyes, who led the team from 2002 to 2013, has been mentioned as a potential replacement. Moyes recently stated he is not ready to retire from football management but expressed reluctance to take on a job involving relegation battles.

Meanwhile, sources have ruled out Jose Mourinho, currently managing Turkiye's Fenerbahce, as a contender. Mourinho, who previously worked with the Friedkin Group at Roma, was dismissed by them in early 2024.

Dyche joined Everton in January 2023, replacing Frank Lampard with the club in the relegation zone. Under his leadership, the team avoided relegation with a final-day victory over Bournemouth and finished 15th in the 2023–24 season despite an eight-point deduction for financial rule breaches.

Everton’s performance this season has been mixed, with the team keeping seven clean sheets but struggling offensively, scoring only 15 goals—the second-lowest tally in the league.

This marks Everton’s final season at Goodison Park before their move to Bramley-Moore Dock from next season. Dyche’s exit makes him the sixth Premier League manager to be dismissed this season, following Julen Lopetegui’s departure from West Ham earlier this week.

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