Marcelo Bielsa is reportedly set to turn down the opportunity to manage Everton, despite holding positive talks with the club on Thursday.
The former Leeds United boss jetted into London to hold discussions with the Toffees' hierarchy, although there was already fears that Bielsa would reject the role.
The Argentine had concerns over the lack of pace in the squad, and that he would prefer to take over in the summer so that he can 'start from scratch' rather than run the risk of being relegated.
Everton are currently 19th place in the table, and sacked Frank Lampard on Monday, after a run of nine defeats in 12 games in the Premier League.
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According to the Daily Mail, Bielsa is expected to inform the Everton board that he does not want to take on the role at Goodison Park at this time. Bielsa was believed to be the Toffees' first-choice candidate for the managerial vacancy, but Sean Dyche is now in pole position to succeed Lampard.
The ex-Burnley manager was also on the board's list of candidates, although there is still work to be done to secure a deal, with Dyche wanting a longer term deal.
Dyche spent almost a decade at Burnley, and presided over 425 games during his reign at Turf Moor. He twice guided the Clarets to promotion into the Premier League, and also helped inspire them to UEFA Europa League qualification via a seventh-place finish in 2017/18.
However, Dyche was sacked with the club four points adrift of safety with eight games remaining in April 2022.
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