Credit: Imago

Jacob Raw

Tue 21 October 2025 10:14, UK

Former Everton boss Sean Dyche looks like he will be visiting the Hill Dickinson Stadium this season.

Dyche had been tipped for the Nottingham Forest job, and shortly after Ange Postecoglou’s sacking, he landed the role.

Nottingham Forest took to social media on Tuesday morning to announce Dyche as their new head coach, and he was seen as the perfect fit by owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Dyche’s time at Everton was bumpy, as Goodison News looks at how the Englishman’s time with the Toffees squares up to the task in front of him in Nottinghamshire.

Sean Dyche’s Everton data could give mixed reactions at Nottingham Forest

Dyche was appointed Everton manager in January 2023, as the Toffees looked in danger of being relegated from the Premier League.

In the 2023-24 Premier League season, Everton achieved 13 clean sheets (including nine at home) – one of the best defensive records among clubs in their position, as Dyche still received criticism, despite keeping the Toffees up.

Dyche’s possession stats match up very similarly to Nuno’s with Nottingham Forest last season. Nuno’s average possession rate in the 2024-25 season was 40.9 per cent, which saw Forest have a very successful campaign, as Dyche will no doubt focus on having less of the ball.

• Dyche’s favourite formations at Everton were 4-5-1/4-1-4-1
• Everton averaged 40.6% possession in the 2023-24 season
• Forest recently played a 5-3-2 formation, and currently average a 52.5% possession rate

However, Dyche likes to play direct, whereas Nuno opted for fast transitional play, and that could be a problem.

Dyche will have the likes of Chris Wood to aim long balls at, which could work, but it will be a big change for Forest fans to see.

The worry is that Dyche’s football wasn’t successful at Everton in the long term. The Sofascore graphic below shows that.

At Everton, Dyche was involved in some big games too.

• Read more: Nottingham Forest fans need to know these three things about Sean Dyche’s time at Everton

Everton were capable of winning big games under Dyche

One of the best periods Everton had under Dyche came in the winter of 2023, when the Toffees put a winning streak of four games together.

In that, they beat Chelsea and Forest, keeping four clean sheets in total.

The streaks that Everton sometimes went on prove that Dyche has what it takes to instantly fire Forest back up the table.

One of Dyche’s most notable moments at Goodison Park came when his Blues side beat Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby in April 2024.

So Dyche has what it takes to win big games at Forest, no doubt, but will his personality clash with Marinakis’?

Dyche could clash with Evangelos Marinakis

Marinakis has made himself a well-known figure in the Premier League, as he has a hands-on approach when it comes to dealing with the managers he employs. It’ll be no different with Dyche.

However, Dyche is not one to hold his feelings back and has come out to voice frustrations at Everton with the ownership of Farhad Moshiri.

• Everton were dealing with Profit and Sustainability Rules issues when Dyche was at the club
• In the 2023-24 season, Everton were deducted a total of eight points for breaching PSR
• Everton finished 15th in the same season under Dyche

In 2024, Dyche came out and explained his anger with the Toffees’ financial situation and how he felt Everton needed a takeover.

“If the [777] takeover doesn’t ­happen, or a takeover, then it will probably be juggling dust, not sand. I would imagine, because it’s not like there is a pile of cash anywhere, so you’ve got to self-generate,” said Dyche, as quoted by The Guardian in May 2024.

“And if you self-­generate, how do you get in what you are ­losing? If­ ­someone leaves, how do you get the next one in who is as good as the one leaving? There is no time for development [of young players] because this club hasn’t got time for that.”

Thankfully for Dyche, he shouldn’t have many financial worries at a club like Forest.

But if things start going wrong, Dyche and Marinakis could clash.

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