Everton have announced that manager Sean Dyche has been sacked just over three hours before tonight's FA Cup third-round tie with Peterborough United.
The 53-year-old's exit comes less than a month after the Friedkin Group completed their much-anticipated takeover of the Toffees, bringing an end to the reign of former owner Farhard Moshiri.
Dyche succeeded Frank Lampard at Goodison Park in January 2023 and successfully kept Everton in the Premier League for back-to-back seasons, overcoming two lots of points deductions last term before finishing 14 points above the drop zone.
However, speculation over Dyche's future has been rife since the arrival of the Friedkin Group, and the decision has now been made for the ex-Burnley boss to leave following a run of just one win in 11 games.
Dyche departs Everton after nearly two years in charge, winning 26, drawing 26 and losing 32 of his 84 matches across all competitions, and he leaves the Merseysiders sitting 16th in the Premier League table, just one point above the relegation zone.
Baines, Coleman to take charge on interim basis
A statement released on Everton's official website read: "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.
"Under-18s Head Coach Leighton Baines and club captain Seamus Coleman will take charge of first-team affairs on an interim basis."
Baines spent 13 years at Everton as a player between 2007 and 2020, making 420 appearances, and the 40-year-old has since spent the last two-and-a-half years in charge of the club's Under-18s side, managing 62 games in total.
Fellow Toffees legend Coleman, meanwhile, has played 426 times for the club in all competitions since joining back in 2010, but injuries have limited the 36-year-old right-back to just four outings so far this season.
Both Baines and Coleman will take charge of Everton's encounter with League One side Peterborough in the FA Cup tonight, and could also be in the dugout for next Wednesday's Premier League clash against Aston Villa at Goodison Park.
Who is in the frame to replace Dyche as Everton manager?
Recent reports have linked three-time Premier League winner Jose Mourinho with the Everton hotseat, with the Portuguese boss listed as the bookmakers' favourite to replace Dyche before his sacking.
However, Sky Sports News understands that the 61-year-old - formerly of Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur - has received no contact from the Toffees.
Former Everton manager David Moyes, who has been out of work since leaving West Ham United at the end of last season, is currently among the bookmakers' favourites to succeed Dyche.
Moyes spent 11 years in charge of the Toffees between 2002 and 2013, winning 42% of his 518 games at the helm, before succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United where he was sacked after just 10 months.
The likes of Lee Carsley, Sir Gareth Southgate, Michael Carrick, Steve Cooper and Gary O'Neil - the latter two have already been sacked from Premier League jobs this season - have also been listed by the bookmakers as potential candidates for the Everton vacancy. body check tags ::
