Everton have confirmed the reappointment of David Moyes following the sacking of Sean Dyche.
The 61-year-old has sealed an emotional return to Goodison Park with a two-year contract – 22 years after his initial move to Merseyside.
Moyes, who departed West Ham at the end of last season, first linked up with the Toffees in 2002 from Preston, staying for 11 years before taking charge at Manchester United.
And he is now back in the hotseat at his former stomping ground – signing a deal until 2027.
Issuing a rallying cry to the Everton faithful, Moyes 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.”
The Scotsman was immediately identified as The Friedkin Group’s first-choice candidate to succeed Dyche due to his knowledge of the club and experience in the Premier League.
And Moyes has plenty of experience battling relegation, having saved Everton and West Ham twice from the drop into the Championship.
talkSPORT understands Moyes was initially offered a short-term deal until the end of the season – but pushed for a two-year deal to take the club into their new stadium.
In his first spell at Everton, Moyes was brought in during similar circumstances in March 2002 with the club sitting in 16th spot – just as they are today.
The club then enjoyed their most successful period in the Premier League under Moyes – finishing in the top eight nine times out of the next 11 seasons.
GettyMoyes knows his task will be to keep Everton from avoiding first-ever Premier League relegation[/caption]
Moyes even managed to secure Champions League qualification following a fourth-placed finish in the 2004/05 campaign.
But the club eventually suffered defeat to Villarreal in the third round qualifier.
And Moyes came agonisingly close to winning Everton’s first trophy since 1995, however his side were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea in the 2009 FA Cup final.
However he knows he has his work cut out second time around as he looks to avoid overseeing Everton’s first-ever relegation from the Premier League.
His second debut in charge at the club will be against Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
If results go against them next week, Everton could find themselves in the bottom three with Wolves and Ipswich just a point behind.
Everton fans will be hoping for an immediate new manager bounce having not seen their side win in the league since a 4-0 win over Wolves on December 4.
Since then, they have picked up just two points from their next five games – losing their last two against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth.
More to follow…