Everton a annoncé que la directrice générale Denise Barrett-Baxendale, le directeur financier et stratégique Grant Ingles et le directeur non exécutif Graeme Sharp ont quitté leurs fonctions au conseil d’administration.
Les Toffees ont déclaré que les nominations intérimaires et l’avenir du président Bill Kenwright seront décidés dans les prochaines 48 heures.
Le mois dernier, Everton conclu un accord d’exclusivité avec MSP Sports Capital sur l’investissement dans le club.
Everton a assuré la survie de la Premier League le dernier jour de la saison.
UN Victoire 1-0 sur Bournemouth à Goodison Park ont confirmé qu’ils prolongeraient leur séjour de 69 ans dans le plus haut niveau du football anglais.
Cependant, les fans ont été extrêmement mécontents de la gestion du club et ont exprimé leur colère avec des protestations demandant le retrait du conseil d’administration.
Les principaux décideurs du club ont assisté pour la dernière fois à un match à domicile en janvier, avoir été prévenu d’une “menace réelle et crédible à leur sécurité” à la suite d’une “correspondance menaçante”.
La construction du nouveau terrain d’Everton d’une capacité de 53 888 sur Bramley-Moore Dock est bien avancée mais a vu les coûts monter en flèche de 500 à 760 millions de livres sterling, pour lequel le propriétaire Farhad Moshiri a recherché des investissements.
Les pourparlers sur le financement ont progressé avec MSP et il est entendu que la société basée à New York s’attendra probablement à être représentée au conseil d’administration si elle réalise un investissement minoritaire.
Les directeurs sortants ont déclaré dans une déclaration commune : “Nous nous sommes tous pleinement engagés pendant notre séjour ici et nous sommes déçus d’avoir pris la décision de quitter Everton.
“Nous avons travaillé sans relâche aux côtés de notre président dans ce qui a été une période difficile pour réaliser certains des projets les plus importants de l’histoire d’Everton – des projets qui préserveront et soutiendront l’avenir commercial du club pour les générations à venir.
“Nous sommes fiers des projets de croissance commerciale réalisés au cours de notre mandat, notamment la construction du nouveau stade du club au bord de l’eau. Ce projet de construction – le plus important actuellement en cours au Royaume-Uni – progresse à un rythme soutenu.
“Le portefeuille de partenariats du club a également été augmenté et diversifié, ce qui se traduit par des partenariats commerciaux records et l’expansion de notre travail à l’international.”
Kenwright a ajouté: “Ce fut un excellent conseil d’administration qui a tous travaillé sans relâche pour le club, quelles que soient les circonstances.
“Ma relation avec Denise est connue comme l’une des plus étroites du football. Je la remercie pour ses nombreuses réalisations, en particulier son magnifique travail à l’égard de notre nouveau stade.”
“Ce n’est que le début” – analyse
Phil McNulty, rédacteur en chef du football de BBC Sport
Les changements de salle de réunion d’Everton étaient la conséquence inévitable d’années de mauvaises décisions qui ont conduit le club à un deuxième quasi-accident successif avec la relégation de la Premier League et la rupture complète des relations avec le soutien du club.
C’était une situation dysfonctionnelle qui ne pouvait tout simplement pas continuer.
Les supporters d’Everton ont continué à peser sur l’équipe, mais il ne reste plus que le président Bill Kenwright et l’annonce à venir sur son avenir doit être la confirmation qu’il est sorti avec Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Grant Ingles et Graeme Sharp.
L’essentiel est que si, et c’est hautement improbable, Kenwright reste d’une manière ou d’une autre, le mécontentement et les protestations visant la hiérarchie d’Everton se poursuivront. Il semble cependant que la position de plus en plus intenable du président est sur le point de se terminer par son départ.
Tout cela est le résultat de politiques catastrophiques au niveau de la salle de conférence et sous le propriétaire Farhad Moshiri, qui a maintenant conclu un accord d’exclusivité avec MSP Sports Capital pour un investissement à Everton, principalement pour le nouveau stade de Bramley-Moore Dock.
MSP voudra sa propre représentation au conseil d’administration et ce qui ressemble à un balayage complet de la hiérarchie du conseil d’administration d’Everton est en cours,
Le conseil d’administration sortant a également présidé les politiques qui ont vu Everton renvoyé à une commission indépendante par la Premier League pour une violation présumée des règles du fair-play financier – ce que le club nie vigoureusement.
Everton devait faire quelque chose pour purifier l’air empoisonné autour du club et injecter de nouvelles idées pour éviter d’une manière ou d’une autre une autre saison de crise. Ce n’est que le début et il reste à voir si d’autres changements importants suivront.
Brentford are keen on a move for Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn as they consider options amid strong interest in Bryan Mbeumo. (Caughtoffside), external
Midfielder Connor Barron reckons success in the Europa League can be used as a launch pad to propel Rangers back into the title race. (Daily Record), external
Celtic defender Auston Trusty says the atmosphere at Celtic Park helped him play through the pain of an ankle sprain in the Champions League win over RB Leipzig. (Daily Record), external
Summer links to Saudi Arabia and Turkey may have unsettled Rangers captain James Tavernier, who was dropped for the midweek draw at Olympiakos, says former Ibrox midfielder Derek Ferguson. (Open Goal via Glasgow Times, external)
Hibs forward Elie Youan was seen arguing with his own supporters in the aftermath of Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to St Mirren, with team-mates Rocky Bushiri and Jordan Obita dragging him away. (Scottish Sun), external
Scotland and current club team-mate Tommy Conway reckons Ben Doak will earn superstar status at Liverpool when he returns from his loan at Middlesbrough. (Daily Record), external
Rejected by Rangers and Hibs before being released by Hearts, “late bloomer” Keelan Adams says he wants to “stay on that upward trajectory” after starring with Falkirk this season. (Daily Record), external
Justin Devenny, 21, made his Crystal Palace debut in yesterday’s defeat to Fulham 15 months after leaving Airdrieonians, although the Scottish-born and raised midfielder has been capped a youth level by Northern Ireland. (Scottish Sun), external
The ordeal of surgery and prospect of an uncertain future prompted a change of focus for the husband and father-of-three.
“When you get an illness like that it’s about the family,” said Mowbray, who has also managed Hibernian, West Bromwich Albion, Celtic, Middlesbrough and Coventry.
“I remember sitting in a hospital bed and my kids had tears in their eyes, not sure whether I’d get through it or not, to be honest. I was very, very ill.
“I did come home from that and the period was very up and down.
“Some days you were feeling great, and others I would collapse and black out and find myself on the kitchen floor.
“I phoned the chief executive at Birmingham and told him that health and family is what life’s about and I needed to get myself right, so I left that job.”
Mowbray describes the “amazing” support from both Sunderland and Birmingham by honouring the contracts he signed as “humbling”.
But the “normal working-class lad from the north east”, who played as a central defender for Middlesbrough, Celtic and Ipswich, is keen to earn his wage back in the changing room and pass on his experience of football and life to young players.
For now, however, he has a bigger message to impart.
“If there’s something that isn’t normal, don’t be afraid to go and see your doctor,” he said.
“If I didn’t do that I probably would not have been here today, or I’d have been in a situation where I wouldn’t have been able to have an operation and recover.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he and his team will “clean our heads” during the international break, after suffering a fourth defeat in a row, losing at Brighton.
Guardiola previously lost three back-to-back games with Bayern Munich, before losing a fourth in a shootout, in the 2014-15 season.
His worse run as City boss had been three successive defeats.
Asked about the current run, Guardiola told Sky Sports: “Two in the Premier League. You have to count the victories and defeats, and we will win a lot.
“If you have to count how many victories in a row, we are far away from that position.”
It is “not nice” to lose two league games in a row, but City are “not far away” from the top of the table, in second place going into the international break, he said.
On Saturday, City took a first-half lead at Brighton through Erling Haaland’s 12th Premier League goal of the season.
The Blues dominated for much of the first half, having 67% possession and five shots on target to Brighton’s zero.
But that flipped after the break to just one on target, to Brighton’s four. City looked lethargic for large periods of the second half as Brighton substitutes Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley scored to earn the win.
It was the first time City had lost a Premier League game having led at half-time since 2021.
Speaking on Match Of The Day, former City defender Micah Richards said: “The most defining thing for me is not pressing any more. They’re going as individuals.
“When you lose the best midfielder in Europe [Rodri] you’re always going to have a strain on the team. But they are just too easy to play through at this moment in time.”
Guardiola added: “We are not able to do 90 minutes right now.
“We played a really good first half, but we were not able to sustain the rhythm in the second half.
“We lost again so [we will] clear our heads [in the] international break and hopefully our players come back fit.”
In his news conference, Guardiola added: “When the players come back, I don’t have any doubt that we will be back to our best.”
City’s run is tough after the break, with games against Tottenham, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Aston Villa before Christmas.
Manchester City’s rivals will reach for the world’s smallest violin if Guardiola mentions injuries, given their vast financial and playing resources, but he is well within his rights to mention losing Rodri, his most important player, for the season.
Kevin de Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji have all missed games too.
And Guardiola’s own future is yet to be decided as his contract expires next June. Director of football Txiki Begiristain, a close friend going back to their Barcelona days, is going at the end of the season.
When Guardiola has extended his City contract on the previous two occasions, the club has announced that in November 2020 and November 2022. He is yet to give any hint about his decision, with reports of approaches from Brazil and also England before the FA appointed Thomas Tuchel.
If City were winning, there would be a serenity as events moved behind the scenes. Instead, this will become more of an issue unless they pull out of this slump.
And could it be, at long last, that City’s squad needs new names and fresh hunger after winning the Champions League, six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup under Guardiola?
Serious decisions had to be made on his arrival, notably the selling of youth product Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid.
The club talked to Maresca about their intentions; he has the freedom to accept players and question club decisions.
His squad is now full of players he wanted, with the exception of one case who he accepted the club’s approval for despite not being sure about.
But with Gallagher everybody was aligned.
With just a year left on the midfielder’s contract, Chelsea and Maresca found themselves between a rock and a hard place.
If he stayed he would have to renew, but they were struggling to agree on financial demands and Chelsea were never going to allow his contract to run down. The player had to depart.
Coming the other way was Joao Felix, who returned to the Blues having spent an unsuccessful loan spell there in 2023, but on much lower wages and a seven-year deal.
“I don’t do miracles,” is one of Maresca’s favourite sayings, and you can imagine him pointing that out about a player who has struggled to fulfil their potential.
The club though, were convinced he could be useful and that Maresca’s detailed work would make him better. Eventually the coach accepted the challenge.
Felix was an exception to the rule. The Chelsea model works on the basis that their potential stars – young players with huge qualities – are paid a fixed sum plus performance-related incentives.
The new ownership say they do not want to be hamstrung by high wages as the previous regime were.
It is all about trying to build a sustainable model for the long-term that allows players who impress to be rewarded with extensions and more money, as Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer got in their new contracts, while allowing the club to move on those who underperform, easier to do when they are on average Premier League wages.
Enzo Fernandez, for example, was signed from Benfica in January 2023 for £107m – but on a nine-and-a-half-year contract.
The deal was certainly an upgrade on what the midfielder was earning at Benfica, but still said to be nowhere near what he could have earned elsewhere.
Chelsea’s owners say the long contracts are not given with a view to trying to amortise the value of a player over a number of years, but rather to build the right model to make the club sustainable, including the shaping of a squad that can be together for years.
It does not matter how much a player costs, but they have to come with one big condition – to have the right background, character and ability to be team players.
Maresca, identified by the club to guide them for the next decade, can have any player he wants as long as they are under the age of 24 and willing to commit to the team long-term.
He wants two players for every position as a bare minimum and, with that now in place, he does not envisage signing more than two or three each transfer window.
To outsiders, one of the most impressive things Maresca has done is stabilise a squad that was seen as being hugely inflated, with talk of in excess of 45 players. The manager though has a first-team squad of 23 and that is what he has dealt with since day one.
Many clubs will have a squad of around 18 of their strongest players with the remaining numbers made of youngsters. Chelsea have added one or two more because of the schedule this season, which could see them playing 70 matches across four competitions, plus the Club World Cup.
Chelsea believe talk of an oversized squad was also exaggerated, because it included players who have suffered mid to long-term injuries, those who have been pre signed with a view to the future and others who don’t fit into Maresca’s plan and will be moved on.
Liverpool have taken early control of the Premier League title race, but Alexis Mac Allister says he didn’t think they would be contenders at the start of the season.
Arne Slot’s side beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield after reigning champions Manchester City had earlier slipped up 2-1 at Brighton.
The results gave Liverpool a five-point lead at the top over Pep Guardiola’s men, who have now lost four successive games.
“If we are top of the league by five points then it means something,” said Mac Allister.
“But we have to go step by step. If you asked me before the season started I would not say we were candidates, but now it looks like [we are].”
Records have tumbled under Slot, who replaced Jurgen Klopp in the summer, as his excellent start at Anfield continued with a ninth Premier League win in 11 games and 15 from 17 overall.
But the Dutch boss was wisely managing expectations as he added: “We are really happy that most of our players have stayed fit through this tough run.
“If I look at the games that are ahead, they are tough. It will be a tough season in general. Margins are small, we have a margin but it is small.