Ronald Koeman has been sacked by Everton following a dismal run that has left the club third from bottom of the Premier League. The Dutchman was hired on a £6m-a-year contract in June 2016 and led Everton to a seventh-place finish in his only full season in charge. However, following an investment of almost £140m in players this summer, Everton’s form has nosedived.
Sunday’s 5-2 home defeat by Arsenal was Everton’s seventh loss in 11 matches in all competitions and signalled the end of the board’s patience in the former Southampton manager. Koeman was informed of the decision, taken by the major shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, and the chairman, Bill Kenwright, on Monday morning. David Unsworth, the under-23s coach, is likely to take charge of the Carabao Cup tie at Chelsea on Wednesday.
A club statement read: “Everton can confirm that Ronald Koeman has left the club. Bill Kenwright, the board of directors and Farhad Moshiri would all like to express their gratitude to Ronald for the service he has given over the past 16 months and for guiding the club to seventh place in last season’s Premier League campaign.” Everton failed to adequately replace Romelu Lukaku after the striker was sold to Manchester United this summer but the problems have run deeper.
Some £55m was spent on the goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and defender Michael Keane, yet Koeman’s team conceded 18 goals in nine league games and only bottom-placed Crystal Palace have a worse goal difference. The most notable other purchases were of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Davy Klaassen for a total of almost £70m, yet neither has had the anticipated impact.
Source: The Guardian UK
