Not on my watch!
Dyche aims dig at former bosses over spending and insists: I’d never put Everton’s future at risk
SEAN DYCHE says the financial mess into which Everton have been plunged in recent years ‘would not happen on my watch’ and that, unlike previous managers, he would not ‘throw the club under the bus’ by demanding war chests for every transfer window.
The Toffees announced losses of £89.1million in their latest accounts on Easter Sunday and the club have already received a six-point deduction — reduced from 10 on appeal — for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
Everton will discover in the coming days if they are to be hit with another sanction for a separate breach in a different set of accounts. They are four points clear of the relegation zone ahead of today’s clash with Dyche’s former side Burnley.
‘It wasn’t on my watch, unfortunately,’ said Dyche, referring to the vast overspending on transfers at the start of Farhad Moshiri’s ownership which led the club into a financial crisis. ‘It would not have happened on my watch. Trust me.
‘I would have been saying, “no, no, no” because the health of the club is important to me. Having played my part in building one (at Burnley), I wouldn’t be throwing the club under the bus by saying, “I am the manager, I need £250m”. I would be going, “No, how can that work for this club? We cannot afford it”.’
Everton have been tight with transfers since Dyche’s arrival, with the manager and director of football Kevin Thelwell pushing back on signings on deadline day in January last year, including striker Lucas Joao. Dyche has only spent money on two players — Beto and Youssef Chermiti, with both deals featuring structured payment packages. The other three arrivals — Ashley Young, Arnaut Danjuma and Jack Harrison — have all been free agents or loan deals.
Everton have sold Anthony Gordon, Alex Iwobi and Moise Kean for a total of more than £100m since Dyche arrived — and though he has not been directly told so, the club will likely have to sell another key asset this summer to balance the books.
Dyche believes he is clearing up the mess of previous regimes, aiming an indirect dig at freespending former managers and the club hierarchy.
‘I am a custodian, I need to look after the club as best as I can,’ he added. ‘I will be judged on whether I win or lose but I know this club is in a healthier position than when I got here. If someone wants to give me £200m I will have a go at spending it, but if it is £200m at the cost of the club I will go, “No, you can’t”. I have to take the heat along the way but I am not going to change my belief. The club needs to be in a healthier position than it has been, so someone has got to jump on the grenade.
‘When I came I didn’t think there were going to be quite as many grenades. I just got my Kevlar vest on and said, “Right, here we go again”. A positive twist of fate now and again would be nice!’