New Everton ownership 'fully supportive' of Dyche and his team

Sean Dyche has said the new Everton owners are behind him as manager ahead of their Premier League match against Chelsea on Sunday.

Dyche told a press conference that he had met with new executive chairman Marc Watts, and it had gone positively.

"It was about the format moving forward. They are fully supportive of me, the staff and the team going forward. They were asking questions about what I have learnt in my time and the overall feel of the club," he said.

In midweek, it was announced that the club had officially changed hands, with Farhad Moshiri passing on responsibility for the club to the Friedkin Group, who also own Serie A club Roma.

Dyche is hoping the change brings more stability and positivity to the club, who are currently 16th in the Premier League and three points above the relegation zone.

"It is not an immediate change, but it would be good if it is a little bit more stable than it has been since I got here. The possible change of owners is now sorted. I hope it [the takeover] brings a positive mood to the team," he said.

"There's only so much that can be done with immediacy, which they know. The immediate [situation] in January is going to be dominated by the PSR [Profit and Sustainability Rules] position of years gone by of what the club had been doing."

Club Statement: Everton Football Club acquired by Roundhouse Capital Holdings Limited, part of The Friedkin Group.

— Everton (@Everton) December 19, 2024

Meanwhile, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca suggested Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could potentially leave the club in January.

Dewsbury-Hall only joined the club in July, having followed Maresca to Stamford Bridge in a £30m deal from Leicester City after they had won the Championship title in 2023-24.

But the midfielder has struggled for game time since the move, failing to start a Premier League match and playing the bulk of his minutes in the Europa Conference League. Questioned about whether he will stay beyond January, Maresca did not give any guarantees.

"Unfortunately I cannot say that, not about Kiernan, about all the squad, because when the transfer window is open, unfortunately, anything can happen," he said.

"So, I'm not focused on January. The only thing I can say about Kiernan is that we are very happy in the way he's working, we are very happy about his performance, and this is my thought about Kiernan.

"We don't want one of our players to leave. The problem is that sometimes the question is more for them, that if they say, OK, you don't want me to leave, but I'm not happy, I want to play more.

"So, in that case, we are not going to say, no, you have to stay, yes or yes. It's a matter of agreement between the club and the player. The only thing I can say is that we are happy with Kiernan, then we'll see."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Everton – Dwight McNeil

Dwight McNeil is Everton's top scorer this season with four goals in all competitions, including three in the Premier League.

The 25-year-old has also supplied three assists in the league, which ties him with Ashley Young for the most productive players in the squad.

Chelsea – Cole Palmer

Cole Palmer is third in the Premier League Golden Boot standings, having scored 11 goals so far this season, while he has also contributed six assists in his 16 league appearances.

Palmer has registered 57 shots on goal and created 44 chances so far, making him the only player to have been directly involved with over 100 attempts in the Premier League this season. With 33 goals and 17 assists in the league during his time at Chelsea, he is already just the fourth player to have 50+ goal involvements in his first 50 Premier League games for a club.

MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN

Second-placed Chelsea come into this match having won eight matches in a row in all competitions, while they are unbeaten in 11 (W9 D2). That unbeaten run includes eight Premier League matches and has taken them to within two points of leaders Liverpool.

That unbeaten run includes three straight away victories, coming against Tottenham, Southampton and Leicester.

Victory on Sunday will take Chelsea to the top of the Premier League – albeit potentially briefly, given that Liverpool play later – and they have won six of their eight away games (D1 L1) in the league this season.

Since the start of May, the visitors have scored more goals (51), won more games (15) and earned more points (49) in the Premier League than any other side. They also beat Everton 6-0 in their previous meeting in April.

Everton have failed to score in eight league games this season, which is more than any other Premier League club. Chelsea, meanwhile, have scored in 15 of their 16 matches – no side has scored in more.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Everton – 21.2%

Draw – 23.1%

Chelsea – 55.6%