Everton will have to pay Sean Dyche £4 million if they want to sack him before the end of the season.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, who have reported that the Toffees won’t be able to afford his exit until the takeover is completed.
Dyche joined Everton in January 2023 with the task of keeping the club in the Premier League, which he narrowly achieved on the final day of the campaign with a win over Bournemouth.
After bringing in Beto, Youssef Chermiti, Arnaut Danjuma, Ashley Young and Jack Harrison with very limited funds, the Toffees boss looked to get off to a promising start.
However, Everton are without a win in their first five matches and sit in 18th place in the Premier League with only one point.
There has already been calls for Dyche’s sacking, while many expect him to see out games against Brentford, Luton Town and Bournemouth to give him a chance.
However, it now looks like the Merseyside outfit could be forced to wait until their takeover is completed to be able to offload him.
The report claims Dyche is protected by a clause in his contract that says the club will have to pay him around £4m if they want to sack him before the end of the 2023/34 campaign.
Farhad Moshiri agreed a deal to sell Everton to 777 Partners last week and has now refused to cough up more cash, with the club now reportedly relying on loans from 777 and MSP Sports Capital to keep them afloat.
The 68-year-old is very unlikely to be willing to pay the £4m needed to move Dyche on, especially when he will be gone in just a few months.
This means Everton fans will be relying on the arrival of the Miami-based investment company before they can pay Dyche off.
With Everton’s takeover likely to be finalised by the end of the year, the club could be in for a bumpy ride if they are forced to keep hold of Dyche.
The former Burnley manager has got off to a terrible start this season and things really don’t look like improving anytime soon, while Merseyside could turn very sour if they fail to pick up any points against their next three opponents.
The Toffees still have to face the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Brighton over the next couple of months and really don’t want to end up far adrift at the bottom of the table before they even get the chance to consider sacking Dyche.
Fans will now have to cross their fingers and hope the gaffer can turn things around very quickly.