Latest news with #AngusKinnear
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Are Everton now better equipped to get it right?
Patience may be required for any rebuild as The Friedkin Group continues to navigate the implications of club's most recent accounts for 2023-24, external show a loss of £53.2m, a reduction of £36m on the previous year, while revenue rose by 9% to £187m – an encouraging picture although one that means money must still be spent Osman, who was given his Everton debut by Moyes in 2003, believes that Everton must retain key players such as Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford, while recruiting more leaders to bolster a rapidly thinning squad."A Moyes dressing room is hard, demanding," he said. "Having spoke to a couple of the squad, they love the clarity and what he's asking of them."A manager has to ask for that level and he always did that when I played for him. You also look at O'Brien, who has excelled at right-back when people thought he couldn't do it. We need to make sure these people stay on the pitch."Everton have taken steps to streamline their process, moving away from a director-of-football model following the departure of Kevin Thelwell to a sports leadership team headed by new chief executive Angus has said that Everton will utilise experts in data and analytics, football operations, recruitment, talent ID and player trading as part of the club's evolving has also already met with supporters group the Fan Advisory Board – a far removal from the previous regime when former manager Dyche described communicating with then-owner Farhad Moshiri by "Whatsapp and the odd phone call".Osman has backed the new structure to succeed, adding: "It's time to get behind the new hierarchy and I expect they would lean into Moyes' experience as much as they can. I trust David Moyes more than anyone."Read Matt's full pieceHow confident are you in the new structure?Do you think Everton are better equipped to make steps forward this season?Let us know here
New York Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Everton's new recruitment team is coming together. Transfers are next
Everton's recruitment operation has been in a state of flux. Change has come quickly as key pillars of the old regime depart, including director of football Kevin Thelwell and head of recruitment Dan Purdy joining Scottish side Rangers, the latter after being offered a place in the revamped setup. In their stead, three new figures have already arrived in the form of chief executive Angus Kinnear, head of trading Nick Hammond and strategy lead Chris Howarth. Advertisement Further appointments will be made in due course, with James Smith, Manchester City's director of scouting and recruitment, set to replace Purdy in a similar role to the one he left behind. A new head technical director is expected to be appointed shortly, with Manchester United academy director Nick Cox primed for that role. The belief at Everton is that they are assembling a 'best in class' team that can rival any of their peers, and one that can be in situ for the long term. Even at this stage, the pace and scope of the change should come as little surprise. For Kinnear, the former Leeds United CEO leading the process behind the scenes, there has been little time to waste. With so many players out of contract this summer — the total, at one stage, was 15 — a squad rebuild is coming. While daunting in scope, it offers Everton a rare opportunity to kick on, backed by funding from the club's owner, the Friedkin Group (TFG). The biggest change behind the scenes has been the move away from the director of football model. Thelwell was well regarded for his role in helping keep Everton afloat during countless financial pinch points, but new CEO Kinnear believes in a 'flatter structure' in which a director of football's usual responsibilities are divided among three or four individuals. Negotiations with rival clubs and player representatives, for example, will be handled by Hammond, the former Reading and West Bromwich Albion director of football who held consultancy roles with Newcastle United and Leeds United. He is in the process of engaging in contract discussions with those Everton players whose deals expire this summer, including Idrissa Gueye and Seamus Coleman. Hammond worked closely with Kinnear at Elland Road and was the No 1 target for the head of trading role. His focus will be on negotiating advantageous deals for Everton, but he is expected to offer insight on the market and specific players when needed. A former goalkeeper at Swindon Town and Reading after coming through Arsenal's academy, Hammond was forced into early retirement due to persistent back injuries. He engaged in scouting duties for Arsene Wenger and initially moved into the role of goalkeeping coach at Reading, before taking on the position of academy director. Advertisement At age 35, Hammond was appointed their first director of football in 2003 and was credited for helping Reading reach the Premier League. Kevin Doyle, Shane Long and others were signed during his spell and were excellent on the pitch before moving on for a profit. 'He deals in facts and gets things done,' former Reading manager Brian McDermott, who worked under Hammond, told The Athletic last year. 'He's an incredibly clear thinker and isn't driven by emotion. He never got distracted from the process.' Spells with West Brom and Celtic followed before Newcastle hired Hammond in an advisory role after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund took over the club. In January 2022, Hammond helped the new Newcastle owners navigate a tricky first window as they battled to avoid relegation. In a 2023 interview with Training Ground Guru, he said his role was 'to advise the owners in relation to the players, the due diligence around the players and the financial aspects of the deals they were trying to complete'. The window was chaotic but fruitful for Newcastle, with the additions of Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Chris Wood helping them preserve their top-flight status. Hammond joined Leeds as a freelance football consultant in 2023 and was seen as a quiet but influential figure in helping them achieve promotion back to the Premier League last season. The 57-year-old is well regarded in the industry, with a wide contacts book and savvy negotiating skills. He never had an agent during his professional career, instead choosing to represent himself. New director of strategy Howarth is another with Leeds connections. An entrepreneur who has built and sold three analytics companies, he moved into sports data and analytics by founding Insight Sport, a company that worked with around a dozen clubs across Europe's top leagues. Insight Sport provided clubs with player and tactical evaluations using data and AI, while Howarth was seen as an early adopter of player tracking data. Advertisement Insight Sport was sold to TFG this summer, with its bespoke data set to be used by Everton and Roma. The idea is that Howarth will build club-specific models based on key requirements per position, and scrutinise the data to find value for money, with manager David Moyes feeding in the technical profiles he is targeting. Moyes is seen by many as the key figure in Everton's new transfer team, an old-school, hands-on manager who wants to be across the process. He has taken in games at this summer's Club World Cup and no players will be signed without Moyes' say-so. Howarth will assess targets put forward by the scouting network to determine their suitability. The impending arrival of Smith may be the biggest coup. A sports science graduate who coached in the United States, he worked his way up from performance analyst to head of technical scouting during Moyes' first stint at Everton. Smith joined Moyes at Old Trafford in 2013 when he got the Manchester United manager's job, before moving to rivals Manchester City a year later. He rose to the director of scouting and recruitment across the City Football Group (CFG), the group that has Manchester City at the top of its multi-club pyramid. He reported to director of football Txiki Begiristain and then his replacement, Hugo Viana, before being poached by Everton this summer. One of his main duties at the CFG was putting in place its scouting framework and means of assessing players. Together with senior scouts, he would flag players to be discussed higher up the chain. Smith is seen as an ambitious appointment, with his decision to leave City and rejoin Everton being viewed by some at the club that the new project is ambitious enough to attract top operators in the game. The link to Moyes was key. In Michael Calvin's book on football scouts, The Nowhere Men, Smith detailed how he had learnt under the Scot at Everton. Advertisement 'I've got an idea of players from him,' he said. 'I kind of know what he's looking for, what he's thinking. My role is knitting it together, being a kind of link between the manager and the scouts.' Smith will sit at the top of the scouting network and manage those below, while providing a bridge between recruitment and the manager. He is an organiser, another low-key presence behind the scenes who is not always a regular at games. Player identification and negotiating will be separated in the new setup, with Smith in charge of the former. Cox will handle other aspects of Thelwell's remit. Smith is on gardening leave from City and not expected to officially join Everton until the end of the summer window. The same is likely to be true for Cox who, as technical director, will be tasked with managing many of the other sporting departments, including medical, sports science and the academy. A former academy manager at Watford and Sheffield United before moving to United, Cox holds a UEFA Pro Licence and a Masters in Sport Directorship. He is credited with helping overhaul an underperforming academy at United, having hired and supported the development of coaches like Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna and new Tottenham assistant manager Justin Cochrane. Under his watch, United implemented an academy-specific recruitment drive. Youth graduates have accounted for 25 per cent of first-team minutes, which the Old Trafford club calculates to be the second-highest in top-five leagues behind Bayern Munich from 2019-2024. United have sold around £100million worth of players in the last three seasons, including Anthony Elanga and Alvaro Fernandez Carreras, a figure expected to rise due to sell-on clauses. Cox has had interest from clubs in the Premier League, Europe and governing bodies, but is believed to feel the prospect of working with Moyes, under new ownership as the club enters a new stadium, is an opportunity too good to turn down. Advertisement Coming from a development background, Cox is likely to lead the search for a new academy director, with incumbent Gareth Prosser leaving to join Al Jazira in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month. In the short term, Purdy's No 2 Lee Sargeson, formerly of Brighton & Hove Albion, has stepped up to help manage the scouting department until Smith can officially start. Moyes will be key in this summer's window and the ones to follow, but Everton's aim has been to put in place a robust, talented structure for the long term — one that does not depend solely on any one manager or individual. They are close to having all the pieces in place. Positive steps — but the first significant test for the new regime is just around the corner, as they gear up for a summer they simply have to get right. Additional reporting: Jordan Campbell, Chris Waugh
New York Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Everton's Premier League fixtures: Full 2025-26 schedule and key dates
Everton begin the 2025-26 campaign away to newly-promoted Leeds United at Elland Road. The new season brings an end to Everton's men's side's 133-year stay at Goodison Park as they move to their new home at Bramley-Moore Dock. They will play their first Premier League game at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium against Brighton & Hove Albion on August 23. Advertisement The first Merseyside derby of the campaign takes place on September 20, before the reverse fixture on April 18. David Moyes' side conclude their campaign with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur. All times in BST/GMT There are probably easier starts to the season than Leeds United at Elland Road on a Monday night. Tougher ones too, no doubt, but you suspect the promoted side and their fans will be bang up for it. It's also an early return to west Yorkshire for Angus Kinnear, Everton's CEO who joined from Leeds at the end of last season. Brighton will be Everton's first competitive game at the new stadium in an opening run that also includes Wolverhampton Wanderers (away) and Aston Villa (home) before a late September trip to Anfield for the Merseyside derby. With so much to do in the market this summer, David Moyes' side will need to be ready to hit the ground running. December, seemingly as ever, contains one of the trickier runs — Bournemouth (away), two games against Nottingham Forest, plus Chelsea and Arsenal — while the run from mid-March to the end of the end of the season is also on the tougher side, culminating in a trip to Tottenham Hotspur on the final day. Everton fans have grown accustomed to scanning the fixture list for those final fixtures, looking for a winnable game in case the battle for survival goes to the wire. After the way the team ended last season, they will hope those matches carry weight for a different, altogether more positive reason next time around. The exceptional pre-Club World Cup transfer window opened on June 1 and closed nine days later on June 10. The summer window re-opened on June 16, while the cut-off date for the 2024-25 profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) reporting period coming at the end of the month on June 30. The window closes on Monday, September 1, at 11pm BST (6pm ET). Advertisement The winter transfer window opens on Thursday, January 1, and closes on Monday, February 2. The new Premier League season gets underway on the weekend of August 15-17, a week after the Community Shield on August 8, when league champions Liverpool face FA Cup winners Crystal Palace. The final match round will be played on Sunday, May 24, 2026, when all 10 matches will kick off simultaneously as usual. Premier League clubs will enter the FA Cup at the third round, which begins on Saturday, January 10. The Carabao Cup will begin in mid-August, with Premier League teams not playing in Europe entering in the second round, which starts in the week commencing August 25, and the remaining seven clubs receiving a bye to the third round, which takes place in the weeks commencing September 15 and 22.
New York Times
18-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Leeds United's Premier League fixtures: Full 2025-26 schedule and key dates
Leeds United's Premier League return begins with a trip to Everton. Daniel Farke's side secured promotion back to the top flight at the second time of asking last term after topping the Championship with 100 points. Leeds face Manchester United at Elland Road on January 3, before the reverse fixture on April 11. Advertisement They conclude the campaign away to West Ham United. All times in BST/GMT By Leeds writer Beren Cross Angus Kinnear may be pleasantly surprised at his televisual pulling power this morning. The Kinnear Derby, as his family undoubtedly calls it after the chief executive's switch to Everton, was irresistible to Sky Sports. Alternatively, Leeds United were going to be shown live, regardless of who they faced on the opening weekend. Clashes with Champions League qualifiers Arsenal and Newcastle United put a sting in August's tail, but beyond that, if Leeds want to stay up next season, the autumn provides an opportunity. All six matches across September and October are against sides Leeds need to be taking points from if they hope to beat the drop. Those games give Daniel Farke a chance to put points on the board before the traditional sacking season rolls around through the second and third international breaks. He will need that autumn relief because November starts a run of seven consecutive games against top-10 finishers from last season. Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool across seven days from the end of November looks particularly spicy. Across the festive season, trips to Sunderland and Anfield keep the mileage down for supporters before a reunion with hated rivals Manchester United on January 3. Seven of the closing 10 games are against sides from last season's bottom half or Championship promotion winners. As with the autumn, those are the games Leeds need to be winning if they hope to stay up. The exceptional pre-Club World Cup transfer window opened on June 1 and closed nine days later on June 10. The summer window re-opened on June 16, while the cut-off date for the 2024-25 profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) reporting period coming at the end of the month on June 30. The window closes on Monday, September 1, at 11pm BST (6pm ET). Advertisement The winter transfer window opens on Thursday, January 1, and closes on Monday, February 2. The new Premier League season gets underway on the weekend of August 15-17, a week after the Community Shield on August 8, when league champions Liverpool face FA Cup winners Crystal Palace. The final match round will be played on Sunday, May 24, 2026, when all 10 matches will kick off simultaneously as usual. Premier League clubs will enter the FA Cup at the third round, which begins on Saturday, January 10. The Carabao Cup will begin in mid-August, with Premier League teams not playing in Europe entering in the second round, which starts in the week commencing August 25, and the remaining seven clubs receiving a bye to the third round, which takes place in the weeks commencing September 15 and 22.
New York Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Everton Transfer DealSheet: Summer window latest, key targets and likely exits
There are two ways of looking at the summer to come for Everton. With so many players out of contract, the task in front of them appears daunting at first glance. It is rare for an established Premier League club to have quite this much to do in one window, but Everton are seeing it as an opportunity to reshape and improve the squad, backed by fresh funds from their new owners at The Friedkin Group (TFG). Get it right, and they have a chance to really progress. Advertisement The summer 2025 market will be the first test of the new recruitment model put together by recently-appointed chief executive Angus Kinnear, who arrives having overseen Leeds United's Championship title win last season. Plenty has changed behind the scenes already and, with so much to do, the new regime will need to hit the ground running. Here, The Athletic previews what is likely to be a lively window for Everton. Most of the old hierarchy, including director of football Kevin Thelwell, have left and the arrivals are still bedding in. But manager David Moyes and Kinnear will be crucial figures in what Everton are calling a 'flatter structure'. Potential targets will be filtered up the chain by the scouting department, with input also coming from head of strategy Chris Howarth, who is another Kinnear appointment. James Smith, Manchester City's director of scouting and recruitment, is a leading contender for a similar role in Kinnear's revamped setup, although a deal is yet to be concluded. Moyes and Kinnear will then decide which targets are sent to TFG for final approval, with head of trading Nick Hammond in charge of negotiating the deals that get the green light. Given the amount of churn we're going to see at Everton, it would probably be easier to list the positions where they don't need to strengthen! A new backup goalkeeper is needed, as are full-backs on both sides. Everton will also look to strengthen on the wings, in central midfield and up front. More quality in the final third. Moyes sees Everton's defence as a strong point and wants to build on that solid foundation. Goals have been a problem, even if the situation improved after his return in January for a second spell as manager. TFG-owned Everton are expected to have a significant budget, but that will need to be spread across anything up to 10 players. They will need to remain careful on PSR (the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules) until the end of the financial year (and thus this cycle) in June, but their position has improved due to the results gained under Moyes in the second half of the season and the new stadium's naming-rights deal with Hill Dickinson. The picture should further improve from next season, with another heavy loss dropping out of the calculation and improved revenues from the stadium kicking in. As reported by The Athletic in April, Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap was one ambitious target. He was seen as someone who could immediately improve the team and was attainable for Everton financially due to his £30million release clause in the event of Ipswich getting relegated, which they were. Everton were one of a number of suitors to speak to the 22-year-old and promised to make him their main man up front, but a move elsewhere was always considered far more likely and Delap has instead chosen to join Champions League-bound Chelsea. Advertisement A new striker will be needed to compete with Beto, who has impressed Moyes and his coaching staff. Thierno Barry, 22, of Spain's Villarreal and German side Stuttgart's 23-year-old Nick Woltemade have been tracked. Liverpool winger Ben Doak, 19, has his admirers following a season on loan at Middlesbrough in the second-tier Championship and is one potential option on the wing. In January, Everton chose not to progress with deals for Championship side West Bromwich Albion's Tom Fellows, 21, and Ernest Nuamah of France's Lyon despite having made significant headway on both. Nuamah, also 21, sustained an ACL knee injury in April and will be out long-term. Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff was another player of interest in January. West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek is a Moyes favourite from his time in charge at the London Stadium, although there has so far been no sign of a move for him. Right-back Vladimir Coufal is leaving West Ham as a free agent this summer and could come onto the manager's radar again. There will be a focus on players from established leagues who can come in and immediately help the team. Moyes' staff have been seen regularly at Championship games involving teams such as eventually-promoted duo Burnley and Sunderland, with the former's French defender Maxime Esteve, 23, among those watched. Given the number of Everton players who are going to be out of contract, the summer is likely to be less about sales and more about strengthening the squad. Jarrad Branthwaite has been coveted by several top English clubs, but Everton have informed interested parties that they intend to keep the 22-year-old defender. It remains to be seen if a big-money offer would make them change their mind. A move for someone such as Esteve would become more likely in the event of a sale there. That depends on the signings Everton make. But it is possible striker Youssef Chermiti, 21, and midfielder Harrison Armstrong could head out on loan for game time if their pathway to the Everton first team is blocked. Armstrong, 18, had a successful loan with Championship side Derby County in the second half of last season and remains highly regarded. He is likely to be assessed by Moyes and his coaching staff in pre-season before a final decision is made. The big decisions so far have centred on those players whose contracts are up this summer. Ashley Young, Asmir Begovic and Joao Virginia are not being retained, while loanees Jack Harrison, Orel Mangala, Armando Broja and Jesper Lindstrom have been sent back to their parent clubs, with Everton deciding not to activate purchase options on the latter two. Advertisement Abdoulaye Doucoure was offered a new one-year deal, including a club option for an additional 12 months, to stay on reduced terms but he received far more lucrative interest from elsewhere — notably the Middle East — and decided to leave. Everton chose to trigger the €15million (£12.7m/$17.1m) option to make Carlos Alcaraz's mid-season loan from Flamengo permanent after negotiations with the player and Brazilian club over the past week. Captain Seamus Coleman has been offered a package to stay but striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin's future is in doubt, with his contract among those expiring at the end of June. Defender Michael Keane's situation remains unresolved, but a new deal for him has not been discounted. (Top photos: Getty Images)
