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Sean Dyche SACKED by Everton just hours before FA Cup showdown as two club legends take charge with Jose Mourinho linked
Jose Mourinho is a shock name in the frame to take over at Goodison Park
SEAN DYCHE has been SACKED by Everton just hours ahead of the club's FA Cup third-round clash with Peterborough.
Toffees Under-18s head coach Leighton Baines and veteran right-back Seamus Coleman will take charge of Thursday night's showdown.
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Jose Mourinho is a shock name in the frame to replace the ex-Burnley chief, along with Goodison Park legend David Moyes, who left West Ham in the summer.
In a statement on their club website, Everton said: "Everton Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as Senior Men’s First Team Manager with immediate effect.
"Ian Woan, Steve Stone, Mark Howard and Billy Mercer have also left the Club.
"The process to appoint a new manager is under way and an update will be provided in due course.
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"Under-18s Head Coach Leighton Baines and Club Captain Seamus Coleman will take charge of first-team affairs on an interim basis. "
Dyche had been in charge for two years, having replaced Frank Lampard in January 2023.
But with Everton currently 16th in the Premier League and just one point above the relegation zone, changes had to be made.
In the build-up to Thursday's match, Dyche, 53, admitted that club owners TFG would not be doing their jobs if they were not considering the possibility of replacing him.
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The appointment of Mourinho could be seen as a spectacular coup – despite TFG billionaire owner Dan Friedkin, also owner of Roma, sacking him a year ago.
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The Portuguese chief was also twice axed by Chelsea as well as Manchester United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan - but deems his dismissal by Friedkin as the "one that most hurt".
The Special One took over at Fenerbache last summer but is at war with Turkish authorities over the way the nation's Super Lig is being run.
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Dyche's ups and downs at Everton
SEAN DYCHE was appointed in January 2023 following the disastrous reign of Frank Lampard.
Things couldn't have got off to a better start for the former Burnley manager, with victory over Arsenal in his first game at the helm.
That first season saw the Toffees' battle against relegation go down to the final day of the season, with Dyche masterminding a 1-0 win over Bournemouth to retain their place in the top flight.
The 2023-24 season started positively, but then Everton were hit with a 10-point deduction, which was later reduced to six points.
Despite being hampered by the punishment, Dyche guided Everton to 15th position.
The highlight of the season was a 2-0 win over local rivals Liverpool - their first Merseyside derby win at Goodison for 14 years.
But despite signs of improvement last term, the Toffees have found themselves in a rut again this season, with Dyche leaving with the team just one point clear of the relegation zone.
The distraction of the club's long protracted takeover cannot have helped, but after The Friedkin Group finally got a deal over the line in December, just a few weeks later they decided on a change of manager.
Despite being so upset by the way Friedkin got rid of him, the 61-year-old would love a chance for another tilt at the Premier League.
The writing had been on the wall for Dyche after just three wins in 19 Premier League games and fans starting to turn on his style of play.
Ahead of the game, the former Burnley chief was asked if he believed the ownership group would consider axing him, to which he replied: "It should be.
"If you’re a business of this size and this club, then succession planning should be part of their diligence. I’ve got no problem with that at all.
"I think that should be ongoing at every football club.
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"That’s part of the business, surely. I’m sure it is in what we’d call normal business life."
Everton take on Peterborough in a potential FA Cup giant-killing at 7.45pm on Thursday at Goodison Park.
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