Everton - News

Seeking further investment for their 55,888 seated Bramley Moore Dock stadium, contruction commenced with an initial cost to build were mere £500. Million!! But costs have driven the build to a staggering £760 million ...the owner says " Everton are not for sale", we are looking for sound investment from outside sources, the dtadium is due to open ready for the 2024/25 season

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 (Hwang Hee-chan 34) Everton 1 (Mina 90+9)

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Everton's fight to avoid the drop into the Championship will go down to the final day of the season despite Yerry Mina snatching a dramatic equaliser deep into stoppage time at Wolves.

The Toffees looked on course for a damaging defeat until Mina pounced in a goalmouth scramble in the final seconds of nine minutes of additional time to give Sean Dyche's side what might prove to be a priceless point.

Everton must now anxiously await how other results pan out to discover the full extent of their task when they face Bournemouth at Goodison Park.

Wolves went ahead in a scrappy encounter after 34 minutes when Hwang Hee-Chan scored from a rebound after Everton keeper Jordan Pickford had pushed out Adama Traore's shot.

Everton's best opportunities came with two first-half headers from Dominic Calvert-Lewin but they suffered a severe blow when the injury-plagued striker was forced to limp off with a hamstring injury on the stroke of half-time.

It now rests on that crucial clash with Bournemouth as Everton attempt to avoid their first relegation from the top tier since 1951 but this may yet be the point that helps to maintain their Premier League status.

Abdoulaye Doucoure: Everton trigger one-year contract extension..By Shamoon Hafez, BBC Sport.

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Everton have triggered a one-year option to keep midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure at the club until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

The 30-year-old was out of contract this summer but the Toffees have exercised the choice of a further year.

Doucoure has made 94 appearances and scored nine goals since joining from Watford for £20m in 2020.

The Mali international will be aiming to help Everton remain in the Premier League in Sunday's final game.

Sean Dyche's side are currently two points above the relegation zone and host Bournemouth at Goodison Park.

Doucoure fell out of favour under former manager Frank Lampard but has played an integral role under Dyche, netting four goals in his last nine games.

He told BBC Sport in March: "I always wanted to be in the Premier League and I want to stay much longer here. It is the best league for Muslims to be in."

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Everton manager Sean Dyche speaking to BBC Sport: "Ugly days, brilliant when you win it and glorified, but it's ugly days and there's no joy in that. I was pleased with how the team worked. There's a lot of work to be done. But I'm really pleased.

"We brought a group of players together and I'm learning about the club. The fans care deeply. They know the club isn't where it wants to be but it's a team in a massive transition and we need to build on what we have achieved this season.

"I said it was fantastic in many ways and to enjoy the moment but don't forget that overall for the season it's disappointing. We need to demand more, recruit more and everything. There's so many things here. There's a lot of work that needs doing.

"I reminded the players of a good half and that the main thing was getting bodies in the box and having the belief to score a goal. We didn't progress too much in the second half because we found a magical moment then it was nervy after that.

"The players dealt with it in a different way. It was very difficult. I'm pleased that this side have been able to show a different way to win. They dug in. We have found wins. There's been a lot of good but there's a massive amount of work to be done.

"Yeah, Abdoulaye Doucoure has been terrific and a threat for us. We've been misfiring up front but he's been getting in the right areas and has popped up with a massive goal.

"I feel there has to be a real alignment. I don't think the club is ready to be thinking about the big stuff. We need to recruit well. All those things are not for this moment in time but I have it all up there."

Everton escape relegation: 'Reboot needed or it will be temporary reprieve'..By Phil McNulty, Chief football writer at Goodison Park.

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Everton's fans basked briefly in their annual celebration of Premier League survival before the wider crisis engulfing one of English football's great old institutions burst to the surface at a highly charged Goodison Park.

The facts of an occasion riddled with nervous tension were that Everton escaped their third last-day dice with relegation in the Premier League era with victory over Bournemouth - but the sub-plots were many and for a while this looked like the day 69 successive seasons in English football's top tier would end.

It felt as if Everton would drop into the Championship as they demonstrated their lack of quality by struggling to break down Bournemouth at the same time as Leicester City led against West Ham United. At that point Everton were in the bottom three and a sense of panic was growing inside the stadium.

It was in the 57th minute that Abdoulaye Doucoure wrote his name alongside Barry Horne in 1994 and Gareth Farrelly four years later as the Everton midfielder who saved the day with a spectacular long-range strike.

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The goal was greeted with an impromptu firework display behind the Gwladys Street stand, the heartbeat of Goodison Park, and yet another explosion of the noise that assaulted the ear-drums and provided the soundtrack for most of this tumultuous afternoon.

With the stands ankle deep in chewed fingernails, not helped by an agonising 10 minutes of added time, referee Stuart Attwell's final whistle brought an outpouring of joy similar to the one that greeted Everton's win over Crystal Palace that brought safety in last season's penultimate game.

'Change needed or Everton will be back here again'
After the joy - perfectly understandable - came the anger, as Everton's fans voiced their discontent with the club's hierarchy with chants of "Sack The Board" sweeping around Goodison.

As manager Sean Dyche said: "It was a horrible day for all concerned. There was no joy in it for me other than getting the job done."

In reality, this was a celebration born out of failure, the failure of Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, chairman Bill Kenwright and chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale and the calamitous strategies that have brought Everton to the financial and footballing precipice.

Everton got away with it this time but if there is not significant change at the top of the club everyone will be back here again in this parlous position next season.

The board have not attended a game since January, citing safety concerns, Everton have been referred to an independent commission by the Premier League over alleged breaches of financial fair play and for a while here they were looking at the sporting catastrophe of relegation.

It is fair to say positive news has been in short supply until this win.

Chairman Kenwright's most recent intervention was an ill-advised and poorly timed "open letter" which focused more on criticism of the board by supporters rather addressing any of the poor decision-making and squandered millions that have characterised the Moshiri era.

The relationship between supporters and board is fractured beyond repair and it is easy to see why, after all the talk of "never again" when Everton got out of trouble at the next-to-last fence in 2021-22 before a much-trumpeted 'strategic review' did nothing other than lead to an even more perilous position this season.

There will be more talk of "never again" but it cannot come from the same people who have delivered that message in the past. There have been too many mistakes. Moshiri - who has reached an exclusivity agreement with MSP Sports Capital for investment, which presumably will be directed at the new Bramley Moore Dock stadium - is at the forefront.

The investment must come with change in a boardroom that has not simply presided over stagnation but a decline that almost ended in the Championship. The empty seats in Goodison's directors' box cannot remain unoccupied but it is almost impossible to see a situation where the board can return, which is unsustainable.

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Job done for Dyche but what next for Toffees boss?
Dyche has completed the job by keeping Everton in the Premier League but he also needs help with the squad - or their league position will be exactly the same this time next year.

Everton relied on those few who have served them so superbly through the struggles right to the end, particularly goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who saved from Matias Vina as the seconds ticked down.

James Garner did a top-class shift as an emergency right wing-back, while Doucoure's goal confirmed the impact he has had under Dyche following his exile under Frank Lampard.

He not only scored the winner against Bournemouth but also got two in the 5-1 win at Brighton that gave Everton three points not many had factored into the relegation equations.

Dyche struck a tone of grim realism as he sifted through the aftermath of Everton's latest escape but how he gets the assistance he clearly requires to avoid another season like this remains to be seen.

What has been a constant throughout has been the magnificent backing from Everton's supporters, who packed the nearby County Road in such numbers before kick-off that traffic on that busy stretch had to be diverted.

They do not deserve the suffering they have been put through yet again and their furious reaction once they turned away from the joy was a clear indication they do not think Everton's board deserves them.

And their instincts are right.

It is not a time for the "never again" soundbites fans have heard before. Everton need a serious reboot and fresh ideas in their hierarchy otherwise this will merely be a temporary reprieve.

For this night, though, and for those pouring out into Goodison Road heading for The Winslow Hotel, the famous old Evertonian hostelry, they could savour the taste of something to settle shattered nerves after their club once again went to the very edge before stepping back.

Conor Coady: Loan defender to return to Wolves after Everton reject £4.5m offer of permanent switch..

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Everton have decided not to take up a £4.5m option to turn defender Conor Coady's season-long loan move from Wolves into a permanent switch.

The 30-year-old made 25 appearances for the Toffees and scored two goals.

The England international started for Everton when they beat Bournemouth 1-0 on the final day of the season to secure their top-flight status.

However, he only played six times under Everton boss Sean Dyche, who took over at Goodison Park at the end of January.

Everton also confirmed defender Ruben Vinagre will return to Sporting Lisbon following his loan spell at the club.

"We want to sincerely thank Conor and Ruben for their impeccable professionalism and valuable contributions both on and off the pitch during their time with the club," said Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell.

"We wish both players the best in their futures."

Everton directors Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Grant Ingles & Graeme Sharp leave board..By Shamoon Hafez, BBC Sport.

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Everton fans protested against the club's board during the season

Everton have announced chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, chief finance and strategy officer Grant Ingles and non-executive director Graeme Sharp have left their boardroom roles.

The Toffees said interim appointments and chairman Bill Kenwright's future will be decided in the next 48 hours.

Last month, Everton entered into an exclusivity agreement with MSP Sports Capital over investment in the club.

Everton ensured Premier League survival on the last day of the season.

A 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at Goodison Park confirmed they would be extending their 69-year stay in English football's top tier.

However, fans have been extremely unhappy at the running of the club and vented their anger with protests asking for the board's removal.

The club's key decision-makers last attended a home game in January, having been warned of a "real and credible threat to their safety" following "threatening correspondence".

The construction of Everton's new 53,888-capacity ground on Bramley-Moore Dock is well under way but has seen costs soar from £500m to £760m, for which owner Farhad Moshiri has been searching for investment.

Talks over funding have progressed with MSP and it is understood the New York-based company will likely expect representation in the boardroom if it does complete a minority investment.

The departing directors said in a joint statement: "We have all been fully committed during our time here and are disappointed to have made the decision to leave Everton.

"We have worked tirelessly alongside our chairman in what has been a challenging period to deliver some of the most significant projects in Everton's history - projects that will safeguard and sustain the commercial future of the club for generations to come.

"We are proud of the commercial growth projects progressed during our time on the board, including the construction of the club's new waterfront stadium. This construction project - the largest currently on site in the UK - is progressing at pace.

"The club's partnership portfolio has also been increased and diversified, reflected in record commercial partnerships and the expansion of our work internationally."

Kenwright added: "This has been a great board who have all worked tirelessly for the club, no matter what the circumstances.

"My relationship with Denise has been known as one of the closest in football. I thank her for her many achievements, particularly her magnificent work in respect of our new stadium."

Meanwhile, court records show Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is suing Everton, his former club, at the High Court.

The claim relates to "general commercial contracts and arrangements" but the listing gives no further details.

Ancelotti, 64, managed the Toffees between December 2019 and June 2021. The Italian's lawyers declined to comment when contacted by BBC Sport.

Tom Davies: Everton midfielder rejects new deal to end 13-year stay at Premier League club..

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Tom Davies' final Everton goal came in a 5-2 home defeat by Watford in October 2021

Everton midfielder Tom Davies will leave the club this summer after rejecting a new deal with the Toffees.

Davies came through the academy at Goodison and has scored seven goals in 179 games for his hometown club.

However, the 24-year-old, who joined Everton at the age of 11, has made just six Premier League starts across the past two seasons.

"We respect his decision and thank him for his service and commitment," said director of football Kevin Thelwell.

"We offered Tom a new contract but he feels he has reached the stage in his career where he needs regular first-team football and, as a result, he wants to look at alternative options."

Davies, who won 23 caps for England Under-21s, became the youngest captain in Everton's history when he skippered the side, aged 20, for a 2018 Carabao Cup tie with Rotherham United.


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