Frank Lampard marked his first day as Everton manager by signing Donny van de Beek from Manchester United and securing the audacious permanent transfer of Dele Alli from Tottenham.
Everton negotiated an unusual deal with Spurs to sign Alli on a free with £10m payable after 20 appearances. The 25-year-old will be able to make only 18 Premier League appearances this season because he is Cup-tied. With add-ons dependent on team and individual achievements, the eventual fee could rise to about £30m over a two-and-a-half-year contract.
Alli was undergoing a medical with Everton when Newcastle, having failed in an attempt to sign Jesse Lingard from United, also registered interest in the England international. But the move to Goodison Park was in the advanced stages and Everton finally confirmed it at 00:20 on Tuesday GMT.
Lampard’s new club made the innovative offer having reached their quota of domestic loan signings with the Netherlands international Van de Beek. The 24-year-old was close to joining Crystal Palace until Everton made their move over the weekend. “I want to show my qualities, my strengths, to the people in England, but especially the fans from Everton,” said Van de Beek, who has made only four starts for United this season.
“I had a really positive meeting with the new coach. We have the same ideas about football and he had a lot of influence on my decision.”
Everton’s hectic day started with confirmation of Lampard’s appointment as manager. The 43-year-old accepted the chance to succeed Rafael Benítez and agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract at the chairman Bill Kenwright’s office in London on Sunday. He met his new squad for the first time on their return to training at Finch Farm on Monday.
Lampard is joined by a backroom team comprising the former Chelsea coach Joe Edwards as assistant manager, Paul Clement as first team coach and Chris Jones as first team coach and head of performance. The former Derby and Chelsea manager had also wanted Anthony Barry to join him on Merseyside but the coach opted to remain at Stamford Bridge. Duncan Ferguson, who was overlooked for the manager’s job, and goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly have remained on the staff at the request of Lampard, who has also offered a coaching role to Ashley Cole.
Lampard takes over a struggling team four points above the relegation zone, having won once in 14 Premier League games. His first match will be at home to Brentford in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.
Lampard said: “There are things that will be my priority to improve; firstly to improve results, to try to improve confidence, the way we are playing, to try to engage with the fans. I think Everton is a unique club in that you can really understand what the fans want to see. The first thing they want is fight and desire and that must always be our baseline.
“I keep saying the words passion and fight and I think it relates to Everton football club. It is probably the way I tried to build my own career as a player. I knew I had to work overly hard to be the best I could possibly be and I’m the same as a manager and want to see that in my team. I want to see a team that is confident in possession of the football, can control games with the possession but also be exciting at the top end of the pitch. On the flip side, when we don’t have the ball you have to be aggressive. That is how my teams have always set up as I’ve been coaching and I will quickly work to make sure that is how Everton is.”
Lampard was chosen after a complicated two-week search that involved an initial approach for the club’s former manager Roberto Martínez and fan protests over the potential appointment of Vítor Pereira. The Portuguese coach, Lampard and Ferguson were interviewed by Everton’s majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, and the board on Friday. The former Everton player Tim Cahill, who could take up a technical role at Everton, was also on the interview panel and advised Moshiri during the process.
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Moshiri said: “Frank will give the team an immediate boost. A dressing room will always rise to someone of his character and achievement. I will provide the system to support him. The biggest thing for us – for me, for Bill, for all parts of this great and beautiful club, is to get behind this manager. Let’s unite behind the team, give the team the 12th man and start moving up the table. Our future is bright. We just need to be united. Maybe together, me and the fans should be more patient – I am also impatient. We have to get behind the manager and give him that Goodison feeling, and I think success will come with that.”
Kenwright has been a target for criticism from supporters who have called for the board’s removal recently but Moshiri is adamant the chairman stays. “We are keeping the chairman as long as we can,” he insisted. “He manfully fulfils his functions and I really appreciate what the chairman does.”
