The managerial merry-go-round has started up a little early.
Following emergency talks after a dismal run of form which saw the Toffees win one game in their last ten Premier League matches, Everton announced they had parted ways with Roberto Martínez.
Everton’s new majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri decided to make the move after poor results and discord among fans, who had planned to protest outside the club’s end of season awards dinner tonight. That event has been postponed.
Martínez came to Goodison Park for the 2013-14 season, replacing David Moyes who had left for his disastrous spell at Manchester United. That season the Spaniard guided Everton to a fifth place finish, nearly dislodging Arsenal to claim a Champions League spot. At the end of the season the club gave him a lucrative contract extension rumored to be worth at least £3m.
Since that first season Everton had been on a slow downward trajectory. With their FA Cup run ending in disappointment in a 2-1 semifinal loss to United and an awful record in the league, fans had started to turn on Martínez and there was talk of unrest in the dressing room.
U21 coach David Unsworth will take charge for the team’s last game of the season Sunday at home to relegated Norwich.
There’s already a frontrunner for a replacement. Frank de Boer is leaving his job as manager of Ajax and has made it clear he’s very interested in the Everton post.
Negotiations between the club and Martínez over the severance package are ongoing.