Everton have enjoyed steady progression this season, with it only taking two campaigns of pure turmoil for fans to lower expectations and begin to appreciate the bare minimum.
As a club once dreaming of breaking into the traditional top six as Farhad Moshiri promised to invest his fortune into achieving such a goal, in the end, his misspending has actually seen them regress.
Now seeking to jump ship, with 777 Partners desperately trying to push through a deal, it is now all about the fans, the players and their management staff, and the goal those three facets must work towards.
One key part of the latter is Kevin Thelwell, who has done an admirable job since joining as the club’s director of football in February 2022.
Now, speaking on James Cooper’s VSI Sporting Director’s podcast, he would reveal the conditions with which he returned to England to take up the role at Goodison Park, thanking one very special individual.
He noted, on the late Bill Kenwright: ‘‘These sorts of things are talked of widely, when people say ‘he’s one in a million’ or ‘there’ll never be another one like him,’ but the reality is there won’t.
‘Because he’s just such a special individual and he’s got this ability to just light up a room and make people feel very special about themselves, make it more about you feeling a particular way rather than himself, and of course, I’m not going to say he’s the biggest Evertonian or he’s the biggest supporter because there’s so many people who support Everton and just a big part of their lives, but he was a he was a true blue no doubt about it.’
How good has Kevin Thelwell been for Everton?
Having taken over just after Frank Lampard’s appointment, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers sporting director was truly thrown in at the deep end following the torrid tenure of Rafa Benitez.
Inheriting a club torn apart by the Spaniard’s leadership, he and the Chelsea legend were tasked with guiding the club to Premier League safety despite enduring one of the worst runs of form in the club’s history.
Finishing four points clear of the drop in the end, Lampard would not last the following season, and Thelwell was allowed to make his first real big move.
Hiring Sean Dyche has since proven a masterstroke, with the bulk of his transfers coming since his appointment also proving profitable.
However, perhaps most impressive is his work on the financial side of things, with Everton having reduced their wage bill by over £29m since 2021 and recording a net profit in every season that Thelwell has been on Merseyside.
Should he maintain the upward trajectory he has the club on, whilst keeping them financially secure too, the 50-year-old could be on his way to earning hero status at Goodison Park.
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