Everton confirm Southampton boss, Ronald Koeman confirmed as new manager on a three-year deal worth £6m per season

Everton Football Club have confirmed Southampton boss, Ronald Koeman as its new manager. manager. Reports had long been lingering that the Dutchman who enjoyed two excellent seasons with Southampton was going to take over from where former Goodison boss, Roberto Martinez, left off following a poor poor season.

Having led Southampton to a 6th place finish, Koeman was heading into a European campaign, however, he has found it impossible to turn down the overtures of Everton's major investor Farhad Moshiri. With the club having a larger war-chest than Southampton and he will be given the biggest transfer kitty in Everton's history to revamp a squad that failed to fulfill its potential under Roberto Martinez.

He has signed a three-year contract, worth £6million per season.

Martinez was sacked on May 12 after results had spiraled and Koeman quickly became the prime target for Moshiri, who acquired a 49.9 per cent controlling stake in Everton on February 27 and has been determined to make a statement.

Everton spoke to a number of other candidates – including former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini, David Moyes, who spent 11 years in the Goodison hot seat between 2002 and 2013, and ex-Ajax manager Frank De Boer – but it soon became a two-horse race.
The main rival to Koeman was Unai Emery and Everton held significant discussions with advisors of the three-time Europa League winner at the end of May to see whether he would consider a switch to the Barclays Premier League.

Unai Emery

It is understood that Emery, had second thoughts about meeting Everton's hierarchy in person and, aware that an alternative offer from Paris Saint-Germain was floating in the pipeline, he dropped out of the race.
When Emery got cold feet, that merely stiffened Everton's resolve to get Koeman and he informed Southampton at the beginning of June that he wanted to talk to Moshiri.

That left Everton with the task of agreeing a £3.5million compensation package with Southampton. Koeman – who will be joined on Merseyside with his brother, Erwin – had 12 months remaining on his terms but that was not going to be a stumbling block for Moshiri.
Koeman who is away on holiday is expected to be formally unveiled at Goodison in the coming days and he will be tasked with returning Everton to the top six, with long-term aim of transforming them into a Champions League club.

Southampton confirmed Koeman's departure and released a statement saying: 'The search has already begun for the right appointment who can take the club to the next level and build on our track record of recent success, which culminated in a sixth-place finish in last season's Premier League, as well as qualification for the group stages of the Europa League.
'Our focus now is to build on our long-term plan, and work with a new management team who share both the club's and our supporters' values and ambitions.'