Everton fans will be delighted with the appointment of Ronald Koeman as their new manager.
And from here on starts a new future for the Toffees, which should leave the reign of Roberto Martinez lost in the annals of history.
Although Koeman didn’t win anything with Southampton, and although he has won more honours as a player than as a manager, the fact that Everton have been able to recruit such a figure speaks volumes for the ambitions of the club.
With many of the bigger names already having secured new roles for next year, Koeman is a safe choice for the Everton board.
The Toffees have paid about £5m compensation for the 53-year-old, who leaves Premier League rivals Southampton after two years in charge. The widely reported £6m-a-year deal is for three years and makes Koeman the highest ever paid Everton boss.
Koeman said Everton was a club with a “great history and real ambition” while chairman Bill Kenwright called the Dutchman his “number one target”.
Reasons to be cheerful? Here are FIVE…
Ronald Koeman
Experienced in Europe and with an understanding of the Premier League and English football, Everton have a good fit with the Dutchman at the helm. Although he had a good platform at Southampton, despite the sale of many of their first-team when he arrived, he took the team into the Europa League twice and came close to Champions League football last season.
Now it appears that he is ready for another rebuilding exercise and will have money to spend after giving up another chance at the Europa League. With the Saints looking as though more players will be leaving this summer, maybe another summer exodus was too much for him… along with the bigger paycheque of course.
Money
When new owner, Iranian Farhad Moshiri bought 49.9% of the club in February this year, Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright said: “After an exhaustive search, I believe we have found the perfect partner to take the club forward.”
What he had also found was investment into the team, as Moshiri pledged to spend £100m. The billionaire, who sold his 15% share in Arsenal to his business associate Alisher Usmanov for around £200m, can now exert the power and influence his money could never buy at Arsenal, where he and Usmanov could not wrest control from majority shareholder Stan Kroenke. Finally the Goodison Park club can compete with the bigger teams.
Statement Of Intent
The new owner and the board have now issued an intention that the club will be looking to compete and move forward with the appointment of Koeman. Moshiri wanted to make a managerial impact that would demonstrate the scale of his plans for Everton and Koeman was ideal. It’s never a good idea to bring back previous managers, no matter how highly regarded they are, and it would seem as though Moshiri is a man of the future and not of the past, so Moyes was destined to be overlooked. Whether players like Ross Barkley, John Stones and Romelu Lukaku leave or not, there is now money to spend and Koeman will already have his shopping list ready to hand.
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Ambition
There’s never really been a shortage of ambition at the club, but a shortage of managerial leadership. Under Moyes, Everton were always so close, yet so far. They nearly got to the Champions League and they nearly broke into the higher echelons of the Premier League, but they always came up just short. Moyes had a decent side, but they never won anything and then under Martinez, it all seemed to stall and go backwards. With the right players under Koeman’s guidance, he could possibly take them to the next level that he came so close with Southampton to achieving.
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New Stadium
Everton will have a new stadium “within three years,”says Liverpool’s Mayor. And it could see the Toffees’ one-time dream of a new ground on the banks of the Mersey finally realised. The city Mayor’s comments come after it was revealed the Toffees and city council have scrapped proposals for a new ground on Walton Hall Park. Now the city council and Everton have said they are looking at two new sites in the city to build Everton’s new ground. Another plus for Evertonians.
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