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David Moyes said it was an easy decision for him to return to Everton after becoming their manager for a second time.
The Scot has signed a two-and-a-half year deal to replace Sean Dyche at Goodison Park and come back to the club he managed for 11 years and more than 500 games.
Moyes, who has been out of work since leaving West Ham in the summer, was new owners The Friedkin Group’s top target after Dyche informed them he wanted to leave.
Contact was made with the former Manchester United manager this week and talks progressed well on Friday, with Moyes agreeing to take over the relegation-threatened club.
He said: “It’s great to be back. I enjoyed 11 wonderful and successful years at Everton and didn’t hesitate when I was offered the opportunity to rejoin this great club.
“I’m excited to be working with The Friedkin Group and I am looking forward to helping them rebuild the club. Now we need Goodison and all Evertonians to play their part in getting behind the players in this important season so we can move into our fabulous new stadium as a Premier League team.”
Everton have only won three league games this season, and just one of the last 10 and Moyes, who walked into a relegation battle when he joined from Preston in 2002, faces another.
His first game in charge is against Aston Villa on Wednesday. Everton are yet to confirm who will be his assistant after Dyche’s backroom staff of Ian Woan, Steve Stone and Billy Mercer left with him.
Everton, who were taken over by TFG last month, will move into their £760m new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock next season, hoping to be in the top flight for a 72nd consecutive campaign.
Given their predicament, TFG wanted a manager with a track record in the Premier League and who could make an immediate impact.
Executive Chairman Marc Watts said: “We are pleased that David is joining us at this pivotal time in Everton’s history. With over a decade of experience at the club, he is the right leader to propel us through our final season at Goodison Park and into our new stadium. We look forward to working with David to build the foundation of a new era for Everton.”
In Moyes’ first spell at Everton, he secured eight top-eight finishes, with a highest of fourth in 2005, reached the 2009 FA Cup final and took the club into Europe four times. He was their longest-serving manager since Harry Catterick and won the League Managers Association’s Manager of the Year award three times before replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford in 2013.
Two of Moyes’ former players, Under-18 manager Leighton Baines and club captain Seamus Coleman, were in caretaker charge for Thursday’s 2-0 win over Peterborough after Dyche was sacked three hours before kick-off.
