Everton are in a “volatile situation on and off the pitch”, manager Sean Dyche has said before the Toffees attempt to climb off the bottom of the early Premier League table at Aston Villa.
American businessman John Textor claimed his bid to buy the club is making “progress” on Thursday, although Everton responded by saying there is “some work to be done” to complete a deal.
Under Premier League rules, Textor must sell his 45% stake in Crystal Palace to be able to complete the purchase.
“Armando is going to be a bit of time – I think everyone’s aware of that situation. Orel has come in today bright and breezy and we’ll assess him.”
Sean Dyche on when we could see new recruits Broja and Mangala. PIC.TWITTER.COM/BOSK1K1VU4
— Everton (@Everton) SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
Everton takeover: Textor in?
Dyche, who was appointed in January 2023 and has struggled to oversee convincing runs of form during his tenure, said he has not spoken to Textor and is focused on changing a run of three consecutive defeats to start the campaign.
“The ambition here changes weekly,” said Dyche, referencing majority owner Farhad Moshiri’s long-running attempts to sell Everton.
“It’s been an up-and-down period for the club, not just for me. We’ve brought some level of calmness during the process but at the minute it’s a volatile situation on and off the pitch, with talk of ownership change and, on the pitch, not getting the results we want to get.”
Everton results
Everton conceded in the 87th, 92nd and 96th minutes to spurn a 2-0 lead at home to Bournemouth in their latest defeat on August 31.
“My situation is secondary to the situation the club is in,” said Dyche. “We want to win games, that’s my first thought.
The boss updates on Coleman, Branthwaite and Patterson ahead of #AVLEVE. pic.twitter.com/K6caU4PEQq
— Everton (@Everton) SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
“It’s not about myself or contracts. It’s about my staff and the players aligning to win games. That remains my focus.”
Everton vs Aston Villa
Everton ended the summer transfer window with two loans signings for the rest of the season, adding forward Armando Broja from Chelsea and midfielder Orel Mangala from Lyon.
“Armando’s got an injury so that’ll take a bit of time,” said Dyche. “We know from his time at Forest [between February 2022 and July 2024] that Orel can deal with the Premier League.
“He signed then went away [with Belgium] but he’s come in today, been bright and breezy and wants to be part of the group. We’ll assess it as we go on.”
New numbers confirmed! 👕
Armando Broja will wear 22 this season, while Orel Mangala will don No.8. 🔵 PIC.TWITTER.COM/HUDF7DQVJS
— Everton (@Everton) SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
Defenders Seamus Coleman, Jarrad Branthwaite and Nathan Patterson are also doubts for the trip to Villa Park on Saturday (5.30pm BST).
“Seamus is touch and go but we’ll see how he recovers from that,” said Dyche. “Jarrad is just on the grass now so he’s at the beginning process.
“Patto’s the same. They’re starting to train with us every day so they’ll get that training period [first] to be classed as fully fit.”
