BIELSA & DYCHE TOP SHORTLIST FOR NEW BOSS

informed of his fate yesterday in a phone call from Moshiri.

Ex-leeds boss Bielsa has been approached by the Everton owner but it is not clear if the Iranian billionaire has the backing of the rest of the board to appoint him.

Ralph Hasenhuttl (top), axed by Southampton in November, is a coach who has previously had admirers at Everton, while Carlos Corberan, who has swiftly turned around West Brom’s fortunes, is also a shock contender.

But the potential candidates to replace Lampard point to the lack of cohesive thinking.

Dyche is bookies’ favourite and would base survival on a strong defence.

He is keen on a return to the Premier League after being sacked by Burnley last April, while Bielsa, 67, – seemingly Moshiri’s top pick – sees attack as the best form of defence.

Lampard’s survival had been on a knifeedge for several weeks and the Toffees, who are only off the bottom of the table on goal difference with just 15 points from 20 games, did little to dispel the criticism of their fans yesterday.

The club and their director of football Kevin Thelwell (above) are now searching for an eighth permanent manager in seven years.

But the board may also consider making a stop-gap appointment until the end of the season.

It emerged around 3pm yesterday that Everton had sacked Lampard, but there was no official statement until 8.15pm.

It read: “Everyone at Everton would like to thank Frank and his coaching staff for their service during what has been a challenging 12 months.

“Frank and his team’s commitment and dedication have been exemplary throughout their time at the club. But recent results and the current league position meant this difficult decision had to be taken.”

Assistant manager Joe Edwards plus first-team coaches Paul Clement, Ashley Cole and Chris Jones will also leave.

Angry supporters have demanded the board quit the club, and more protests are planned for their next game on February 4 against leaders Arsenal.

A coalition of 67 fan and social media groups and 21 official supporters clubs told owner Moshiri he needs to take “radical steps to stop the rot.”

The NSNOW group, being backed by thousands of fans, said: “The chaos and dysfunction within Everton’s leadership has got us into this position.”