Thelwell talking strategy

[biziclop]

The change in manager will probably benefit Armstrong but yeah, not great on the club's part sending him to a mess

Counterpoint: what better way to prepare him for life at Everton?

[Jamokachi]

Comms from the club klaxon

- Everton Director of Football, Kevin Thelwell, sits down with evertontv to reflect on the January transfer window and the Club's current PSR position, as well as looking forward to a "big" summer ahead and reasons to be optimisic for Evertonians.

Reemphasises the fantastic job he's done keeping us in the league.

[Trowel]

Everton eye return of David Weir as director of football
Exclusive: Club’s owners set sights on former captain, throwing future of current incumbent Kevin Thelwell into doubt

Sam Wallace Chief Football Writer. Matt Law Football News Correspondent
12 February 2025 5:29pm GMT

The Friedkin Group, Everton’s new owner, has placed former player David Weir among their chief targets to take over as the club’s new director of football – a position he currently holds at fellow Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion.

Weir, 54, succeeded Dan Ashworth as technical director at Brighton when the latter left for Newcastle United in the summer of 2022, and has remained at the club despite a high turnover of staff in the interim – particularly to Chelsea. He was captain under David Moyes when the recently reappointed Everton manager was in his first spell at the club.

The Friedkin Group is planning major changes to the club and the position of the current director of football Kevin Thelwell remains unclear although he was in charge for the most recent transfer window, following Moyes’s arrival in December.

Thelwell has a fixed-term contract that runs until the end of this season and there has been no comment made on his future. Weir, who has managed briefly at Sheffield United in 2013, originally joined Brighton as the loans manager in 2019 and has been promoted since then.

Brighton staff have been poached on a regular basis over recent years, given their many recruitment successes under owner Tony Bloom and the data-analysis revolution he has introduced at the club. Chelsea appointed Brighton’s head of recruitment Paul Winstanley as sporting director in November 2022 and later Sam Jewell, who was briefly Winstanley’s successor at Brighton. Should Weir leave then a major role at Brighton would once again be available.

Moyes’s effect on Everton – three Premier League wins from four games ahead of tonight’s Merseyside derby – has given renewed hope to the club. In a review of the January transfer window with Everton’s in-house media, Thelwell said this week that the Friedkin Group had “kept their powder dry” for the summer window.

The £16 million summer signing of Iliman Ndiaye, who came back to the Premier League from Marseille, has been the club’s biggest success in the market in the last two windows. Last month, the Argentina international midfielder Carlos Alcaraz arrived on loan from Flamengo in Brazil.
Thelwell’s hands have been tied

Thelwell said that he was planning for the summer window, pointing out that over his three years at Everton, financial controls and the club’s uncertain ownership situation had necessitated the selling of the best players.

“[We have] generated £225 million in transfer income and only spent £145 million on the team. It has not been what any of us have ever wanted for Everton. But it’s something we have had to do unfortunately to stay afloat or be on the right side of PSR [profitability and sustainability rules].”

Thelwell said that Everton had been “outspent by everybody in the league” in recent seasons. He said that the Friedkin Group would be “strategic and conservative” in its approach in the future.

“We are coming out of a tunnel,” Thelwell said. “We can see the light but, in our reality, we are not quite there yet. I feel we are in fairly good shape and that gives us an opportunity to attack the market, to develop a team that is capable of winning trophies, playing in Europe and be befitting of playing in that world-class stadium we are moving into.

“I was keen in this window not to put all that work in jeopardy by doing something daft in the market that meant we… had less to spend in the summer.”

[Cozzie]

Doesn't he have a different role at Brighton currently though?

[Trowel]

Might be a same horse different jockey type of role.

[Cozzie]

Moyes being here may swing his decision.

[blueToffee]

It seems we might end up going elsewhere, but with what Moyes has accomplished of late the side effect of that is my opinion on the job Thelwell has done is definitely going up. A lot of these players are looking a lot more capable all of a sudden. Not to say we don't need more and better, but under the tight constraints this squad looks decently balanced especially given the injuries.

I don't really know who exactly does what behind the scenes, but on the face of it, he's done well.

[74Blue]

It seems we might end up going elsewhere, but with what Moyes has accomplished of late the side effect of that is my opinion on the job Thelwell has done is definitely going up. A lot of these players are looking a lot more capable all of a sudden. Not to say we don't need more and better, but under the tight constraints this squad looks decently balanced especially given the injuries.

I don't really know who exactly does what behind the scenes, but on the face of it, he's done well.

I think it also demonstrates perfectly how football is about very fine margins, with little/no room for error at this level.

The personnel haven't changed dramatically. If anything, our squad on paper right now is weaker than what Dyche had to work with, as we have a number of key players out.

What has changed is the mindset. The Villa game was too soon for a massive bounce, but even in that game, there were positive aspects to the performance and players showing the desire and guts for the fight ahead. A couple of positive results and that positive mindset, and all of a sudden, things don't look so bad. Points on the board and steadily pulling away from the bottom three and you can see the difference on the pitch. Beto suddenly looks like he's never going to miss every time he gets one-on-one with a keeper, the back line looks solid and confident and the whole team just seem to be playing with a bit of a spring in their step.

The positive mindset on the pitch has radiated into the stands too. Fans are turning up feeling positive and that shows. There is a new attitude sweeping through the entire club.

[Shogun]

Moyes mentioning going after out of contract players in his presser

Jonathan David

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/statist ... evertraege

[74Blue]

Moyes mentioning going after out of contract players in his presser

Jonathan David

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/statist ... evertraege

Davey loves himself a bargain. He's also got a pretty decent track record with players who have maybe lost their way a little. I'm thinking Arteta and Pienaar as prime examples of this.

I see Dele is yet to kick a ball at Como. It would have been interesting to see whether Moyes could have got a tune out of him, or whether he's just completely fucked. That ship has long since sailed though.

[Cereal Killer]

Moyes mentioning going after out of contract players in his presser

Jonathan David

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/statist ... evertraege

Lamptey, Mitchell, Tah, David, Anguissa annnnnd Josh Brownhill!

Then spend some proper money on a winger, sorted!

[Shogun]

Lamptey, Mitchell, Tah, David, Anguissa annnnnd Josh Brownhill!

Then spend some proper money on a winger, sorted!

I would quite enjoy seeing us go for Adama Traore just because he's the type of player I could see @brap2 having a lovely time fighting against the rest of the forum about

[TheRam]

Don’t think there’s a player on there I wouldn’t have tbh.

Can easily get behind will hughes on a cheeky two year deal as a squad player.

Love stuff like that.

[brap2]

I would quite enjoy seeing us go for Adama Traore just because he's the type of player I could see @brap2 having a lovely time fighting against the rest of the forum about

I love him

[Bluedylan1]

Moyes mentioning going after out of contract players in his presser

Jonathan David

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/statist ... evertraege

It was a dig at Liverpool.