Sean Dyche has been sacked as Everton manager after a dismal run of one win in 11 Premier League matches and with the club sitting one point outside the relegation zone.
Under-18s head coach Leighton Baines and club captain Seamus Coleman will take charge of first-team affairs on an interim basis, starting with Thursday night's FA Cup tie against Peterborough at Goodison Park.
Dyche's back room team Ian Woan, Steve Stone, Mark Howard and Billy Mercer had also left the club as new owners the Friedkin Group begin the hunt for his successor.
“Everton Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as senior men's first team manager with immediate effect,” Everton said in a statement.
“The process to appoint a new Manager is under way and an update will be provided in due course.”
Dyche took charge at Everton in January 2023, having had a near 10-year stint as Burnley manager between October 2012 and April 2022.
The Toffees survived relegation at the end of the 2022-23 campaign by just two points, while also overcoming an eight-point penalty for breaches of the league's profitability and sustainability rules to finish 15th last season.
This time round, they managed just three wins in 19 matches leaving them 16th in the table, two points and two places above Ipswich Town, albeit with a game in hand on the Tractor Boys.
Goals had been a major problem for Dyche's side with only rock-bottom Southampton having scored less than Everton's 15 in the top-flight. Their goals-per-game rate of 0.79 is the lowest number in 13 seasons, dropping from 1.05 last term and 0.89 in 2022-23.
In 75 league games in charge, Dyche saw his team win 21, draw 23 and lose 31. The 53-year-old, whose last game as manager saw Everton lose 1-0 at Bournemouth when they failed to register a shot on target, spoke about the speculation surrounding his position at a press conference on Wednesday.
“I think the noise has grown very powerful here. It does do,” he said. "But we've had it before. We've had to push that away and move forward again. We'll keep working with the group, keep reassuring, showing the good side of what we can do.
“The players haven't lacked effort but it's obviously affecting them because you can see it in their performances.
“I think down at Bournemouth we looked tight. We couldn't really find anything that meant anything in the forward department.
“So we're trying to open that up, give them the freedom to play. It's a massive challenge.”
Reports on Monday had suggested the Friedkin Group were “reviewing” the manager's performance, which Dyche made it clear he had no issue with.
“If you are a business of this size, succession planning surely should be part of their diligence; I have no problem with that,” he said.
“It should be ongoing at any football club and a part of any 'normal' business outside football. I never really concern myself with that – but have got to win games.
“We have not won enough this season, [I need to] make sure the team is operating in the right way and please everyone all of the time. That is the job. We haven't done that enough and it comes down to me.”
His exit comes at a crucial time in the club's history with the US-based Friedkin Group only completing a £400 million takeover of the club last month.
This will be Everton's final season at their 132-year-old Goodison Park home before moving to a new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Managers being discussed as possible replacements include Jose Mourinho, David Moyes and Thomas Frank.
Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Mourinho has already been linked with the position despite currently being in charge of Turkish club Fenerbahce.
Following a draw against former club United in the Europa League earlier this season during October, the Portuguese coach said: “The best thing I have to do is when I leave Fener is that I go to a club that doesn't play in UEFA competition – so a club at the bottom in England who needs a coach in two years, I'm ready to go.”
One fly in the ointment, though, could be that TFG owner Dan Friedkin has already sacked Mourinho once in his role as owner and president of Roma.
Moyes, who managed Everton between 2002 and 2013 and is looking for work after leaving West Ham United last summer, has also been linked with a return to Merseyside.
Brentford coach Frank has impressed since guiding them into the Premier League – taking the West London club back into the top flight for the first time since 1947 and then staying there.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
