Sean Dyche has already proven why he could be the perfect manager to succeed Frank Lampard at Everton.
After both Dyche and former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa held talks with Goodison Park chiefs in recent days, it now appears the former Burnley will land the vacant managerial role on Merseyside.
The 51-year-old has been out of work since being sacked by Burnley last April, with the Clarets in the Premier League relegation zone. And although Burnley did suffer relegation to the Championship, Dyche's time at Turf Moor should not be marred by such, with his success rather embodied by the feat of guiding the Lancashire minnows to the Europa League qualifiers in 2017.
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After 10 years at Turf Moor, Dyche understandably took over six months out of the game despite links to Premier League clubs Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth in October 2022. He has since spoken on a number of public platforms about his time with the Clarets and how he managed to bring such enormous success to the club in spite of their shoestring budget.
Best described as a pragmatic coach, Dyche's success often stemmed from making the most out of the resources available. Most of the time that resulted in Burnley being labelled as an unattractive, long-ball side that were amongst the Premier League's roughest opponents, while Turf Moor was considered a challenging place for away teams to visit.
But ask Dyche about such a perception and he would instead insist his team made up for their lack of ability with the old cliche of hard work, dedication and commitment to the cause. Something he outlined on his latest appearance on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football.
Speaking in October, Dyche said: “Why fight the box you’re put in? You’re going to be put in a box, it’s an easy thing for me.
“I would imagine (the perception of me is) 4-4-2, pretty direct football, defensive. On the positive side, because that sounds a bit negative… hard-working, strong team ethic, strong feel, good coacher.
“Whatever job I get, if I get one, I want the fans to know that they’ve got a team that’s going to give everything. They’ve got a team that’s going to work. They’ve got a team that’s got heart. So that won’t change."
He added: “What I’d do is look at the technical understanding of the team, the tactical aspect, what’s their background, where have they been, what’s been their influences? You have to piece that together and start moulding into a team. And that’s how I view how football should personally work within a team.
“You get that right, and everything else starts to look after itself.”
Dyche, who previously had a stint as Watford's manager in 2011, was responsible for ending Liverpool's 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield in the Premier League when he claimed a 1-0 victory in January 2021. He also claimed the Claret's first-ever win at Old Trafford twelve months earlier.
Speaking to the Coaches' Voices during his hiatus from the game, Dyche revealed how he aimed to bridge the gap in quality between Burnley and their Premier League counterparts during his time at Turf Moor.
"It was difficult to get the players in who we wanted. It was hard to get investment from the board, and we’d have to wait around and see who we could get," said Dyche in September. "We couldn’t go out and cherry-pick the players we wanted, and change our style of play based around a load of new signings. It was never that easy.
"As a result, building on a previous season’s success was never a guarantee. On this occasion, we’d survived in 2016/17, our first season in the Premier League after promotion. Although we weren’t just hoping to survive again, we certainly weren’t thinking about the top half of the table.
"We always had to go into a season with the same mentality: that it was going to be incredibly tough for us, and we were going to have to work hard to achieve what we wanted. It was the same that summer, once again."
He added: "The players we’d brought in quickly understood that. They understood what Burnley life was like, and on a personal level they fitted in with the other players really well. Everyone was getting on and, after a good pre-season, I could sense a good connection among the players, and a fantastic feeling in the squad.
"That doesn’t guarantee you positive results, but it does make them much more likely. And they kept coming for us at the beginning of that season. Nothing compares to winning games when it comes to team-building.
"We got draws away to Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham, and beat Everton, Southampton, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and a few other teams. As we approached Christmas, we were fifth in the table – one point off Arsenal in fourth, and in really good shape. Against all expectations, we were flying."
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