Everton make key decision over Thelwell

He was an odd signing to begin with.

Maybe Moyes will take ownership of recruitment and we will not need a DoF.

Slightly disappointing Thelwell was not given the opportunity (contract extension) to actually work with a budget, to improve the quality in the squad.

He's lived on virtual scraps for the last few years, free transfers, loans, player's other teams simply did not want, or were happy for another club, to pick up their salaries. We'll never truly know what he was capable of given a reasonable budget. I wish him well.

He's done great with both hands tied behind his back but Moyes can pick a player and so we don't need Kevin. Good luck to him wherever he goes, he's done a good job in exceptionally difficult circumstances. In Moyes I trust. Onwards and upwards

Moyes hasn’t got the time of young Moyes, he also won’t oversee the academy, player recruitment from youth to senior, EFC ladies, general direction of the “ Football “ in the Football club
when will people realise “ the manager “ is dead and buried in modern day football
Thelwell will be replaced.

David Weir is a good shout for me. I have no idea of course but I get the feeling a Moyes/Weir combination would work.

Thelwell only had crumbs to work with and did a decent job under hugely difficult circumstances and I for one wish him well in his future appointment.

When did Moyes ever really promote academy players though? He's never been that person and it's why I think our current "better than Dyche" needs to be reasoned.

Not a fan of Thelwell but I do like the idea of someone who isn't a Moyes cronie making him accountable.

Disappointed. I think Thelwell has, under the circumstances, done a magnificent job. He's trimmed the wage bill, lowered the age of the squad, bought in some good players, and brought some professionalism to the club.

Perhaps it's all in a name. D.O.F. is somewhat grand and I suspect that Moyes wants greater input and choice into player recruitment. Thelwell will, I am sure, be replaced but probably in a slightly different role. There is talk of Ashworth and other big hitters ( at least in name). TFG may want this. I doubt that Moyes will. Hopefully there is no future fall out. David Weir would be a good fit but only time would tell if he is the right man.

Very disappointed with this, I believe Thelwell to have done a fantastic job, hindered by a) financial situation and b) manager tactics. For a negative net spend (the only club on the PL with one) he’s brought in Ndiaye, Alcaraz, Tim O and others. His signings which were challenged Beto, O’Brien have now started to show what they can do. He’ll always be beaten up about Maupay, but he was intended for the number ten role behind DCL but was forced into playing the nine which was never going to work.

If you look at the players he tried to sign - Gibbs-White, Kudos, etc he clearly had an eye and with a bit of cash behind him I think would be an incredible asset.

David Weir hasn’t done anything at Brighton, he’s just inherited a scouting network created by Dan Ashworth - if we’re going to look that way I’d go for Dan over David everyday.

I always thought Thelwell deserved the chance to show what he could do when he wasn’t trying to make a profit in player trading, whilst maintaining a squad that could stay in the league and all against the backdrop of the club being a total circus at the time. The consensus on some of his ‘failures’ like Beto and O’Brien has changed in recent weeks since we have had a manager who seems to know how to get the best out of the players at his disposal.

I think Thelwell has actually done a great job, overhauled an expensive and ageing squad with virtually no money available, and actually is leaving us with a stronger team than the one he found. But, if we have someone lined up, or a new structure, that can do better then best of luck to him, we move on.

I had reservations when Moyes was appointed. I’d assumed he was coach with outdated ideas and only a marginal improvement on Dyche. I’m delighted to admit I was wrong on that.

My other concern was Moyes’s reported reluctance to work with a DoF. He may be able to pick a player, but asking any one individual to control all aspects of a Premier League football club is asking for the impossible. Someone from a strong football background who reports directly to the CEO needs to take overall responsibility for a management structure that identifies and recruits players, both those ready for the first team in collaboration with the manager and younger prospects with potential to join age group teams, for moving on players at the right time, for the fitness and conditioning of players throughout the club, for data analysis, for the academy, etc. The guy charged with coaching the first team can’t possibly have the time for all that.

David Moyes won’t be the manager for the next decade this time and an important part of the job of a DoF will be identifying potential successors. Gone are the days when Sir Alex Ferguson could anoint the ‘Chosen One’. I’d be amazed if TFG don’t agree and, despite Moyes’s apparent reservations about working within a DoF structure, expect to see Thelwell’s successor in place well before the next transfer window opens.

Personally, no idea who is the best replacement for Thelwell. I felt he did an excellent job in extremely difficult circumstances.

Whoever TFG choose, I hope they get input from Moyes, as he needs to be on the same page as them for it to work.

No good a DOF getting in a player who the manager doesn't pick. A la Dyche and O'Brien.

I had assumed, wrongly, the manager knew best and J.O.B. was not ready to step into Premier league football, but Moyes has proved that theory very wrong indeed! Very Well well done Kevin Thelwell and David Moyes.

BYE, BYE KEV PART ONE: FALSE PROPHET UNZIPPED
In celebration of Happy Unzipped Day. The fraud finally leaving. Part one of a two part special.
The gorgeous two and me get ready for a trip to Buenos Aires
bagfulloftoffees737918539.wordpress.com/2025/03/02/bye-bye-kev-part-one-false-prophet-unzipped/

Intrigued by Martin O’Connor’s bizarre post above I opened the link and read his blog post so that you don’t have to. It’s a weird read but it does contain the odd nugget.

Martin is clearly no fan of Kevin Thelwell. He dismisses every single player acquired during Thelwell’s time as DoF as an “abject failure” with the exception of Alcaraz and Mangala, who he concedes was “serviceable”. While I think most reasonable judges would conclude that is an unfair summary, where Martin may have a point is calling attention to the fact that Everton have been fishing in a very small pool during Thelwell’s tenure. With the exception of Chermiti from Portugal, every single player acquired during those three years had previous Premier League experience or joined from a club in Italy or France.

One issue where I’d certainly agree with Martin is that a competent DoF is about a lot more than first team player recruitment. I don’t have the knowledge to comment on whether Thelwell has the skill set to oversee the full range of the club’s football operations of which recruitment is only a part, but a quick look at his Wikipedia entry suggests his background is in youth coaching before being promoted from Academy Manager to DoF at Wolves. Personally I hope the new owners will be focussing on appointments that are ‘best in class’ and if they have concluded Thelwell is not that, then I support them in seeking a better qualified replacement.

When Kevin Thelwell was brought in we were deep in relegation trouble. His task essentially was to sell our best players and recruit replacements on much lower wages. For a club already struggling in the lower reaches that is usually a recipe for disaster. Fortunately he has succeeded in building a squad capable of achieving a lower mid-table position. I would like to have seen him given the opportunity to operate with fewer budget constraints.

Thelwell’s successor will inherit a far more favourable set of circumstances than he faced three years ago. I wish him and his Evertonian parents the very best.