Sean Dyche is set to become the new manager of Everton following Frank Lampard’s sacking earlier in the week.
The Toffees, who sit bottom of the Premier League, joint on 15 points with Southampton, are facing an uphill battle if they’re to retain their top-flight status with just 18 games to go.
Following what has been a disastrous campaign, Lampard, who took charge 12 months ago, was recently relieved of his duties.
Consequently, and with a week off after being dumped out of the FA Cup by Manchester United, Everton’s hierarchy has been working around the clock trying to find a suitable replacement.
It has been well-reported that the Toffees’ vacant position has been contested by two managers – Sean Dyche and Marcelo Bielsa.
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However, according to reports on Friday morning, including this one from Sky Sports, it is the former tough-talking Burnley boss who will succeed Lampard in the Goodison Park hot seat.
What has Stan Collymore said about Marcelo Bielsa?
Reacting to this latest development, former Aston Villa and Liverpool hitman Stan Collymore believes the Toffees have made the right choice but doesn’t understand why Bielsa was even being considered.
“Sean Dyche was the right choice for Everton over Marcelo Bielsa,” the ex-Red said in an exclusive interview.
“The reason for that is simple – Bielsa went to Leeds United and was given free rein to do whatever he liked. He was this big-name, maverick manager that went to a big club that was struggling. He had a very good, young team that he could mould and he did that. But I look at the Everton squad and it’s filled with experienced senior players who have been around the block.
“There is no way they’re going to respond to a manager who has them on the training ground, starting and stopping every 30 seconds to teach them new ideas, especially when they’re in a relegation battle. They need a manager to come in whose primary skill is to get the team willing to follow him into the trenches in a hugely uncertain time.
“I just don’t think Bielsa is the right fit for the position the club are in. Yes, he’d make it his mission to know everything there is to know about each player, but that’s the kind of approach a club looks to take with a steady team, not one that is fighting for their lives.
“As for Dyche, he has a track record of being a calming influence and he knows how to keep a lid on big egos. Managing Everton is also the biggest job of his career so he’s going to be determined to turn it around. It’s just a no-brainer. I can’t believe Bielsa was even in the running, it was such a daft idea.”
Everton (and Leeds United) fans – do you agree with Collymore’s verdict, or do you think Bielsa would have been a success at Goodison Park? – Let us know in the comments below.