Everton confirmed on Saturday that David Moyes has rejoined the team as manager after Sean Dyche was fired.
Moyes remarked that it was great to be back, noting that he enjoyed 11 wonderful and successful years at Everton and did not hesitate when he was offered the opportunity to rejoin the club.
“David is widely recognised as one of the Premier League’s most experienced and accomplished managers, having led Everton for more than 500 matches from 2002 to 2013,” a statement on the club’s website read.
“We are pleased that David is joining us at this pivotal time in Everton’s history,” Everton’s executive chairman Marc Watts said.
“With over a decade of experience at the club, he is the right leader to propel us through our final season at Goodison Park and into our new stadium. We look forward to working with David to build the foundation of a new era for Everton,” he added.
After firing Dyche just hours before Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Peterborough in the FA Cup third round, the club’s new owners, the Friedkin Group, made the move to hire Moyes.
According to reports, Moyes agreed to a two-and-a-half-year contract to rejoin Everton 11years after departing for an unsuccessful stint as Manchester United’s manager.
Since departing West Ham at the end of the previous season, the 61-year-old Scot has been unemployed.
On Wednesday, he will begin his second stint as Everton’s manager against Aston Villa in the Premier League.
After his 11-year tenure as manager from 2002 to 2013, which includes an FA Cup final participation in 2009 and a fourth-place finish in 2005, Moyes is still well liked by Everton supporters.
After Everton’s January 4 loss to Bournemouth, Dyche’s two-year reign came to an abrupt end on Thursday.
Former Chelsea boss Graham Potter was said to be Everton’s top target, but he joined West Ham, with Jose Mourinho, currently in charge of Fenerbahce in Turkey, also reportedly distancing himself from the job.
As Everton gets ready to start a new era at their Bramley Moore Dock Stadium next season, Moyes will be charged with guiding the team out of the relegation zone.
With just one victory in his last 11 games as manager, Dyche’s team is only one point above the relegation zone.
Seamus Coleman, the captain, and former Everton defender Leighton Baines, who is currently the team’s under-18s head coach, led the team to victory over third-tier Peterborough.
