Izuchukwu OkosiPremier League side Everton on Monday named former Burnley boss Sean Dyche as their new manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract until June 2025, replacing Frank Lampard who was sacked last week following a string of poor results.
The 51-year-old Dyche succeeds Lampard, with the mandate to save the team currently in a relegation battle from going down at the end of the season.
Dyche’s first game in charge of the Toffees will be against Arsenal away at the Emirates Stadium Saturday afternoon at 1.30 pm Nigerian time.
“It’s an honour to become Everton manager. My staff and I are ready and eager to help get this great club back on track,” Dyche said in a statement.
“I know about Everton’s passionate fanbase and how precious this club is to them. We’re ready to work and ready to give them what they want.
“That starts with sweat on the shirt, effort and getting back to some of the basic principles of what Everton Football Club has stood for a long time.”
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Lampard was appointed in January 2022 after managing his former club Chelsea and Derby County, in the second tier.
The floundering Toffees last won a league game in October when they beat Crystal Palace 3-0 at home.
Lampard’s last game in charge before his departure was last weekend’s 2-0 league defeat by West Ham United, which kept Everton second-bottom of the standings on 15 points after 20 games, above Southampton on goal difference and two points adrift of the safety zone.
Dyche has been out of work since last April when he was sacked by Burnley, where he transformed the fortunes of the Lancashire club during his nearly 10 years in charge.
Dyche was the longest-serving English top-flight manager when he was relieved of his duties as Burnley headed towards relegation last season.
During Dyche’s tenure, Burnley was promoted twice from the Championship, achieved two top-half Premier League finishes and qualified for Europe for the first time in 51 years.
Dyche had previously coached Watford for one season in 2011-12 before joining Burnley.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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