Everton has decided to appoint Sean Dyche as the new head coach of the side. The Merseyside-based outfit is currently struggling in the relegation battle and finds itself in deep trouble. They occupy the penultimate position in the table after collecting 15 points from 20 games and are four points away from safety.

Dyche has agreed on an initial two-and-a-half-year contract with Everton. His first match in charge will be an extremely difficult assignment – against league leaders Arsenal, who have a five-point lead at the top of the table with a game in hand, at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The 51-year-old, who was previously the boss of Burnley before being sacked, described it as an honor to be appointed as the coach of the Toffees, who haven’t won a single trophy since 1995.

“I know about Everton’s passionate fan base and how precious this club is to them,” Dyche said in a club statement.

“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 for a long time. We need the fans, we need unity and we need everyone aligned. That starts with us as staff and players.”

Dyche will be replacing former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard who got sacked by the club last week after an extremely poor run of form. Everton lost nine of their last 12 games in the Premier League under him before a dismal defeat at relegation rivals West Ham proving the final straw in his troubled reign.

Everton hasn’t played in the second division of the Premier League since 1954 and after surviving the relegation battle last season as well, they once again, find themselves in the midst of a storm.

Dyche wasn’t actually the first choice for the managerial hot seat as the owner of the club, Farhad Moshiri, wanted to appoint former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa as the coach instead. 

However, after Bielsa refused to take the first-team job and said that he wanted to train the U21s instead until the summer, Everton quickly decided to appoint Dyche who was sacked by Burnley last April before the club’s relegation from the Premier League.