Everton have confirmed that Sean Dyche has been sacked with immediate effect and the Toffees are now on the lookout for a new head coach to steer them away from the relegation zone.
Just three hours away from taking on Peterborough United in the FA Cup third round, Everton released a statement confirming that Dyche and his assistants were parting ways with the club.
Their statement 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."
Here, Express Sport has taken a look at the candidates available to replace Dyche...
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Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho has been installed as the favourite to replace Dyche with several bookmakers, with the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid boss very clear that he would be open to working in the bottom half of the Premier League.
The current Fenerbahce head coach said in October: "I had three clubs in England, so four different periods I've coached in England, and I love it.
"The best thing I have to do is when I leave Fener is that I go to a club that doesn’t play in UEFA competition. So a club at the bottom in England who needs a coach in two years, I’m ready to go. I don’t want to speak anymore about it. I want to speak about the game."
David Moyes
David Moyes has been out of work since leaving West Ham at the end of last season, where he enjoyed two successful stints and picked up a European trophy.
Before an infamous spell at Manchester United, Moyes spent just over a decade on the blue half of Merseyside and gradually grew the Toffees into a formidable outfit.
Whether he is open to a return remains to be seen, but the Scot would undoubtedly be seen as a safe pair of hands at least until the end of the season.
Leighton Baines
Leighton Baines has been placed in interim charge of the team, alongside current club captain Seamus Coleman, while the Freidkin Group search for a successor to Dyche.
Baines has earned rave reviews as head coach of the Under-18s and should he impress in the Everton dugout, starting with a FA Cup tie at home to Peterborough, would likely be given the chance to extend his time in the top job.
Thomas Frank
The new owners' ambition will be clear for all to see with regards to their Dyche replacement, if they are willing to spend then Brentford's Thomas Frank would be an astute hire.
The Dane has kept Brentford in the top flight ever since their promotion in 2021, mixing between pragmatic and front-foot styles of football, which the Goodison Park crowd would warm to if he can be prised out of west London.
Frank would be an optimistic hire and unlikely to leave Brentford mid-way through the season, but he would be viewed by many as the perfect candidate to take Everton out of relegation trouble and steer them up the table on a long-term basis.
