Everton have announced the departure of manager Sean Dyche.
Dyche, 53, departs the club after a run of five winless matches that has left them in 16th place in the Premier League table, just one point above the relegation zone. Everton have scored only 15 league goals this season; only the bottom club, Southampton, have scored fewer.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 |
West Ham
WHU
|
20 | -15 | 23 |
| 15 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
20 | -7 | 21 |
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
19 | -10 | 17 |
| 17 |
Wolves
WOL
|
20 | -14 | 16 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
20 | -15 | 16 |
| 19 |
Leicester
LEI
|
20 | -21 | 14 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
20 | -32 | 6 |
An Everton statement reads: "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."
The statement also confirms that coaches Ian Woan, Steve Stone, Mark Howard and Billy Mercer have left the club.
'It's different but it's football'
Everton were in FA Cup third-round action on Thursday evening, beating Peterborough United 2-0 at Goodison Park. Speaking to the BBC before kick-off, Baines revealed he learned of Dyche's departure earlier in the day, when he was asked to take charge of the team for the match.
"The starting XI, I only found out today, so that was picked beforehand," replied Baines, when asked if he had selected the line-up.
"We've made a couple of small adjustments inside of that, based on things that we think will help."
On whether it felt strange to be given managerial responsibility in such circumstances, Baines said: "It's different but it's football. This is our job. The players know how to play football, I've been coaching for long enough and the people around me are experienced as well.
"It's a different type of day but actually it's just the things we do all the time anyway."
Everton's next Premier League match is at home to Aston Villa on Wednesday 15 January.
Everton's upcoming PL fixtures
What next for Everton?
Dyche was appointed Everton manager in January 2023, succeeding Frank Lampard at Goodison Park. The former Burnley boss kept Everton up with a 1-0 win over AFC Bournemouth on the final day of the 2022/23 season.
In 2023/24, Everton finished 15th, with 40 points, despite being deducted six points and then a further two points, following two separate breaches of the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSRs).
Everton have won just three of their 19 Premier League matches this season, their last campaign at Goodison Park before moving to a new stadium. They suffered consecutive defeats in their last two games, to Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, and have failed to score in eight of their last 10 outings.
Dyche is the sixth Premier League manager to leave his role this season, after Erik ten Hag, Steve Cooper, Gary O'Neil, Russell Martin, and Julen Lopetegui. The latter was dismissed by West Ham United on Wednesday, and has been replaced by Graham Potter.
Media reports suggest David Moyes could return to Everton, the club he managed for 11 years from 2002 to 2013. Former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has also been linked.