Kevin Thelwell (Director of Football)

[Romey 1878]

https://www.evertonfc.com/news/2504576

[Hafnia]

3 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

https://www.evertonfc.com/news/2504576

I read his cv the other week. Very pleased, he was at Preston which didn’t sound glam but non the less he looks very capable, 

[dunlopp9987]

The NYRB academy is one of the best in the US, they've sent a fair number of very talented players over to Europe.

[Hafnia]

Bought some top players to wolves. 

[Zoo 2.0]

No idea who he is, but will give him time as I would anyone else. 

His time at Wolves should be taken with a pinch of salt though, Jorge Mendes built that squad with Nuno Santo - nothing to do with Thelwell.

[Gwlad all over]

I had no idea who Steve Walsh was 

[patto]

4 minutes ago, Gwlad all over said:

I had no idea who Steve Walsh was 

He was Mickey Walsh's brother

[Sibdane]

1 hour ago, dunlopp9987 said:

The NYRB academy is one of the best in the US, they've sent a fair number of very talented players over to Europe.

Brenden Aaronson at RB Salzburg now possibly on the radar? He'd probably go to RB Leipzig first if anything, but he's looking like a real talent. 

 

 

Let me dream of having another American at Everton. 

 

EDIT: Leeds are rumored to be interested. 

[plaidharper]

Out of nowhere the club has appointed someone. Had not heard any rumors leading up to this. Did anyone else?  Assume everyone wanted the role filled sooner vs later.

Wonder who was behind the appointment?  Morshiri? The strategic review? The rest of the board? Is Tim Cahill still around?

Obviously have a lot of questions but it is nice to see the club make a quick decisive decision without it being telegraphed on SkySportsNews well before it happens.

[Sibdane]

Apparently, Tim Cahill had some say in the matter. 

[Romey 1878]

3 minutes ago, Sibdane said:

Apparently, Tim Cahill had some say in the matter. 

It would be nice if the club could actually announce he has a role at the club .

[plaidharper]

5 minutes ago, Sibdane said:

Apparently, Tim Cahill had some say in the matter. 

Where did you hear that? Via social media looks like he has recently been / might still be in Australia.  Though he does travel a bit so unsure if that really means anything.

[Sibdane]

1 minute ago, plaidharper said:

Where did you hear that? Via social media looks like he has recently been / might still be in Australia.  Though he does travel a bit so unsure if that really means anything.

This guy again: 

 

 

[plaidharper]

Thanks @Sibdane

Had not seen that yet.

[dunlopp9987]

3 hours ago, Sibdane said:

Brenden Aaronson at RB Salzburg now possibly on the radar? He'd probably go to RB Leipzig first if anything, but he's looking like a real talent. 

 

 

Let me dream of having another American at Everton. 

 

EDIT: Leeds are rumored to be interested. 

Oddly enough he came from the Philadelphia Union academy

[Sibdane]

1 hour ago, dunlopp9987 said:

Oddly enough he came from the Philadelphia Union academy

Ahh, you’re right. Assumed he was a NYRB product due to the RB switch. 

[Hafnia]

17 hours ago, Zoo 2.0 said:

No idea who he is, but will give him time as I would anyone else. 

His time at Wolves should be taken with a pinch of salt though, Jorge Mendes built that squad with Nuno Santo - nothing to do with Thelwell.

How do you know this? I’m well aware they were mendes players and he had an influence but they still needed signing off etc. 

[Zoo 2.0]

4 hours ago, Hafnia said:

How do you know this? I’m well aware they were mendes players and he had an influence but they still needed signing off etc. 

The people that own Wolverhampton have shares in Jorge Mendes' Agency, so without there being a formal agreement (as doing so would be against the league rules) the agreement was that most of Wolves transfer dealings would go through Mendes, meaning that the club received footballers that normally wouldn't go near them, such as Ruben Neves leaving a key role at FC Porto, to come and play in the second tier of English football. In return of course Jorge Mendes would receive a percentage of the transfer package, a win-win scenario.

I'm not doubting for the record that Thelwell may be a good guy, he's certainly had plaudits for his work with the NYRB's but his time at Wolverhampton (IMO anyway) should be taken with a massive pinch of salt. The transfer dealings would have happened had he, or indeed I been in the position of Director of Football in that timeframe.

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/kevin-thelwell-everton-marcel-brands-23295182

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TK3bvazAK3o

[Bailey]

Im a bit concerned that DBB says one of the most notable reasons for his employment based upon his CV was his work at Wolves.

As Zoo has pointed out, there is a massive question mark over what happened there so I would like to think our senior management didnt put too much weight on his work there without doing their due dilligence over what he was actually involved in. 

[Shukes]

Pretty sure the board will be looking at more than just his record that’s available publicly. Like it or not…. These guys are professional at their jobs….. even though we like to pretend we know better

[Bailey]

52 minutes ago, Shukes said:

Pretty sure the board will be looking at more than just his record that’s available publicly. Like it or not…. These guys are professional at their jobs….. even though we like to pretend we know better

Then why make that point? 

I just find it a bit of a bullshitters statement. Something someone would say when they haven't looked into a subject properly. 

[Shukes]

9 hours ago, Bailey said:

Then why make that point? 

I just find it a bit of a bullshitters statement. Something someone would say when they haven't looked into a subject properly. 

I’ve been alive long enough to take everything I read and presume with a large pinch of salt mate.
 

A bit like Martinez never doing any work on set pieces. Later interview with Baines and he said “of course he did, I meant he didn't put as much emphasis on set pieces as other managers”.  Yet people still use that stick today.

I can imagine the reality is that his recruitment at wolves was a factor in getting him considered, and then they would do due diligence to make sure he is the right man.

But then this is Everton, so it could be a name picked from a hat haha. 
 

[Hafnia]

19 hours ago, Bailey said:

Im a bit concerned that DBB says one of the most notable reasons for his employment based upon his CV was his work at Wolves.

As Zoo has pointed out, there is a massive question mark over what happened there so I would like to think our senior management didnt put too much weight on his work there without doing their due dilligence over what he was actually involved in. 

If you just look at the players bought in to play in the first team who were mendes players and assumed that was the breadth of his job then maybe.

but just looking at comments made when he left for New York. 

“Kevin has excelled in his role and has helped us build exceptional teams throughout Compton, in the Academy, recruitment, medical and analysis departments.

“The role of a sporting director is much broader than most people think, with a variety of different complexities and challenges, and without a doubt Kevin has fulfilled the expectations of the board and I over the last three-and-a-half years.”

 

he certainly seems engaging, you can tell in his interview he has a very sharp brain and for me him understanding the culture and needs of the club is huge. 

[Palfy]

56 minutes ago, Shukes said:

But then this is Everton, so it could be a name picked from a hat haha. 

I think the problem with us is that we don’t have the people at the top who are intelligent enough to make the right decision’s when it comes to team matters, but law of averages would suggest that they will get it right sooner or later Thelwell maybe the one but there’s just as much chance he won’t be. 

[Palfy]

25 minutes ago, Hafnia said:

If you just look at the players bought in to play in the first team who were mendes players and assumed that was the breadth of his job then maybe.

but just looking at comments made when he left for New York. 

“Kevin has excelled in his role and has helped us build exceptional teams throughout Compton, in the Academy, recruitment, medical and analysis departments.

“The role of a sporting director is much broader than most people think, with a variety of different complexities and challenges, and without a doubt Kevin has fulfilled the expectations of the board and I over the last three-and-a-half years.”

 

he certainly seems engaging, you can tell in his interview he has a very sharp brain and for me him understanding the culture and needs of the club is huge. 

His remit may not be as involved with first team matters as much as Walsh and Brand’s seemed to be, but there are lots of other area’s where he can get involved and improve things, in his interview he didn’t really dwell on the first team as much as he did on other aspects of the club. Also some weeks ago when Lampard was asked the question about the club seeking a DoF he came across very unenthused on the idea, what we have to consider is that some managers see DoF as a challenge to their authority when it comes to decisions they believe are for them to make and no one else, and Lampard comes across as very much being his own man which I like, it will be interesting to see how it all develops. 
But if we look at past history they could both be sacked by the end of next season

[Hafnia]

3 minutes ago, Palfy said:

His remit may not be as involved with first team matters as much as Walsh and Brand’s seemed to be, but there are lots of other area’s where he can get involved and improve things, in his interview he didn’t really dwell on the first team as much as he did on other aspects of the club. Also some weeks ago when Lampard was asked the question about the club seeking a DoF he came across very unenthused on the idea, what we have to consider is that some managers see DoF as a challenge to their authority when it comes to decisions they believe are for them to make and no one else, and Lampard comes across as very much being his own man which I like, it will be interesting to see how it all develops. 
But if we look at past history they could both be sacked by the end of next season

I think thelwell was very good at explaining the piece around “supporting” lampard. I think he has likely wanted to know how he can do this.  Lampard will no doubt want to know how the medical department can be better, if the academy is up to scratch. 
 

if we look at a lot of lampards interviews he is very much focused on  “responsibility”… every single one he says that’s “on me”  or “my staff” or “the players”.  Even with the var fiasco he said it was “on cavanagh”.

he doesn’t shirk responsibility but he is also very clear on who is responsible for what. 
 

We have desperately needed ownership at the club in certain areas and I think we have people keen to take ownership but also understand who is responsible for things outside of their remit that impacts their ability to do their job well.

[Bailey]

2 hours ago, Shukes said:

I’ve been alive long enough to take everything I read and presume with a large pinch of salt mate.
 

A bit like Martinez never doing any work on set pieces. Later interview with Baines and he said “of course he did, I meant he didn't put as much emphasis on set pieces as other managers”.  Yet people still use that stick today.

I can imagine the reality is that his recruitment at wolves was a factor in getting him considered, and then they would do due diligence to make sure he is the right man.

But then this is Everton, so it could be a name picked from a hat haha. 
 

I am sure they did but I just found it a very political answer. It was like she was emphasising the obvious when the other things he accomplished at other clubs were probably more impressive. 

It is probably just the cynic in me!

[Gwlad all over]

On 05/03/2022 at 14:45, duncanmckenzieismagic said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TK3bvazAK3o

So, his dad's been a Blue for 68 years. I wonder if he looks in on TT?!!

[London Blue]

28 minutes ago, Gwlad all over said:

So, his dad's been a Blue for 68 years. I wonder if he looks in on TT?!!

Maybe he's one of us ?

I'd so I think you're son is doing an amazing job  

Can I have some match day tickets please

[Gwlad all over]

Haf's been complimentary but the age is wrong 

[Romey 1878]

https://www.liverpoolgecko.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/kevin-thelwell-everton-supporters-insight-23335478

[Gwlad all over]

Can't see his name without remembering Thelwell cartoons in comics in the 60s and papers in the 70s. He especially drew horses!!

[MikeO]

6 minutes ago, Gwlad all over said:

Can't see his name without remembering Thelwell cartoons in comics in the 60s and papers in the 70s. He especially drew horses!!

Looks like he'll fit right it!

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

https://thisisfutbol.com/2022/03/blogs/premier-league/everton/greg-okeeffe-reveals-reason-everton-appointed-thelwell-director-football/

[Hafnia]

Ok Kev…. You’ve seen the enormity of the task, get in front of moshiri and tell him that if you see Kia joorabahjiaenfuck around the gaff you will throw a 10kg medicine ball at him. 
 

time to clear the decks and book a 5 day offsite with lampard, Clement, the analysts and chief scout. 
 

let the cull commence. 

[RuffRob]

He can finally get to business properly now we know what divisons we are now going to be playing in. 

We do need a proper rebuild, and it is going to be difficult we very limited spending power. I am guessing we are going to be one of the teams with the most limited spending power. I think we are going to have to be savy in the market, and that might not be a bad thing, as we have been terrible at spending big money. 

El Garzi coming from Villa has to be the final straw in idiotic transfers, paying the wages of Villa player so they can afford to sign one of our star players is boardering insane. 

Thelwell, Lampard and the rest of the footballing have to be given the time needed to develop a squad and team on a limited budget, by both the owners and the board, but also us fans. 

Its not going to be a seamless ride.

[London Blue]

Don't forget we lose a massive chunk of wages from players out of contract, plus we will likely sell Gomes, Mina, Allan and sadly Ritchy, we won't have a fortune but enough to get what we need.

[Btay]

9 minutes ago, London Blue said:

Don't forget we lose a massive chunk of wages from players out of contract, plus we will likely sell Gomes, Mina, Allan and sadly Ritchy, we won't have a fortune but enough to get what we need.

We should have enough to o buy 2/3 good players and if we actually use the loan market effectively to is time we could be okay.

[Shukes]

If we don’t finally buy a centre half…. Then I will actually apply for DOF myself as it will show anyone can do it.

[MC11]

Tarkovski on a free from Burnley is surely a must. 

[Wiggytop]

57 minutes ago, MC11 said:

Tarkovski on a free from Burnley is surely a must. 

It certainly makes financial sense, he’s 30 in November so a 2 year deal and use him in the knowledge it’s part of the rebuild and he won’t be here too long.

[Hafnia]

Not sure how much money we will have but I think we took the hit last summer.  

[StevO]

29 minutes ago, Hafnia said:

Not sure how much money we will have but I think we took the hit last summer.  

The issues are on a rolling three year period aren’t they? I thought the hit just made a little bit of wiggle room in January. 
 

That said, a couple of free transfers like Tarkowski and Nketiah would help the squad and cost little. 
If we could sell Mina, Gomes and maybe DCL, if he doesn’t want to stay, then that would really help with a midfielder and a striker. 
Throw the kitchen sink at Richarlison to sign a new deal and stay for another year or two. 

[Btay]

2 hours ago, StevO said:

The issues are on a rolling three year period aren’t they? I thought the hit just made a little bit of wiggle room in January. 
 

That said, a couple of free transfers like Tarkowski and Nketiah would help the squad and cost little. 
If we could sell Mina, Gomes and maybe DCL, if he doesn’t want to stay, then that would really help with a midfielder and a striker. 
Throw the kitchen sink at Richarlison to sign a new deal and stay for another year or two. 

Nketiah is a great shout as a striker who offers something different to DCL’s strengths and could even complement each other well as a pairing, would be a great signing.

[plaidharper]

We need a CB and a #6 before any thoughts of attacking players in my opinion.  

And by #6 I mean a true #6 and not a box to box player who can play out of position.  

[plaidharper]

1 hour ago, plaidharper said:

We need a CB and a #6 before any thoughts of attacking players in my opinion.  

And by #6 I mean a true #6 and not a box to box player who can play out of position.  

Boubacar Kamara just went to Villa on a free.  Speaking of #6s, we should have been looking at that.  Assume he would play second fiddle to Douglas Luiz at Villa unless they sell him.  Little competition from our squad if he joined us.

[dunlopp9987]

13 hours ago, London Blue said:

Don't forget we lose a massive chunk of wages from players out of contract, plus we will likely sell Gomes, Mina, Allan and sadly Ritchy, we won't have a fortune but enough to get what we need.

I mentioned this in another thread, but how many years have we said something like "we'll likely be able to offload this player and this player and this player" and surprise surprise, no one wants to buy our overpaid, mediocre players.

I don't think we can assume we're going to be able to find buyers for some of these guys, and we might just see them as part of the squad again next season

[London Blue]

9 minutes ago, dunlopp9987 said:

I mentioned this in another thread, but how many years have we said something like "we'll likely be able to offload this player and this player and this player" and surprise surprise, no one wants to buy our overpaid, mediocre players.

I don't think we can assume we're going to be able to find buyers for some of these guys, and we might just see them as part of the squad again next season

I think both Mina and Allans agents can engineer moves away, Gomes I agree will be tough. I don't want to lose Ritchy but I imagine there will be loads of takers. 

[Bailey]

Is Nketiah that good? 

I haven't seen much of him for Arsenal but when I have, he isn't someone I have looked at and thought he will improve us. Its hard to judge someone in short spells off the bench though.  

I also think if your plan at the start of the season is to use someone like Dom, for the backup to be a polar opposite it would cause an issue in a small squad. 

[StevO]

I’ve only just accepted we talk about having a number ten, now i have to deal with having a number six and a number eight. 
Some lads are going to be really confused when our new right back turns up wearing number three. 

[StevO]

7 hours ago, dunlopp9987 said:

I mentioned this in another thread, but how many years have we said something like "we'll likely be able to offload this player and this player and this player" and surprise surprise, no one wants to buy our overpaid, mediocre players.

I don't think we can assume we're going to be able to find buyers for some of these guys, and we might just see them as part of the squad again next season

Couldn’t agree more. I’d love to sell my house for a few million and retire, but wishful thinking isn’t going to make that happen. In the same way selling Gomes, Keane, Davies and Mina won’t be easy. 
Out of contract players will be out the door, but anyone else? I doubt it. Wholesale changes just aren’t on the cards for me. 

[Btay]

9 hours ago, plaidharper said:

Boubacar Kamara just went to Villa on a free.  Speaking of #6s, we should have been looking at that.  Assume he would play second fiddle to Douglas Luiz at Villa unless they sell him.  Little competition from our squad if he joined us.

He would have been ideal. Real shame and a great bit of business by Villa 

[Btay]

7 hours ago, Bailey said:

Is Nketiah that good? 

I haven't seen much of him for Arsenal but when I have, he isn't someone I have looked at and thought he will improve us. Its hard to judge someone in short spells off the bench though.  

I also think if your plan at the start of the season is to use someone like Dom, for the backup to be a polar opposite it would cause an issue in a small squad. 

I think he’s good, he works hard and is quick and I like that he generally tries to place his shots from what I’ve seen.

To a degree but it also gives the option of something different when plan A isn’t working. 

[c1982]

On 23/05/2022 at 15:46, plaidharper said:

Boubacar Kamara just went to Villa on a free. 

Reported £175k per week to jump ahead of Champions League offers. There’s a few Villa signings of late that have made me think they’ll fall into our trap - Digne, Coutinho, Ings - around £20m each on big wages and no resale. Way over the odds on Kamara’s wages and talk of £120k a week on Tarkowski - don’t get me wrong - I’d have Tarkowski here but not as a top earner. It may not seem much (in footballing terms) but £90k for Tarkowski, I’m happy with - £120k and you’ve got to think what other players are going to look at that and want parity.

[Romey 1878]

1 hour ago, c1982 said:

Reported £175k per week to jump ahead of Champions League offers. There’s a few Villa signings of late that have made me think they’ll fall into our trap - Digne, Coutinho, Ings - around £20m each on big wages and no resale. Way over the odds on Kamara’s wages and talk of £120k a week on Tarkowski - don’t get me wrong - I’d have Tarkowski here but not as a top earner. It may not seem much (in footballing terms) but £90k for Tarkowski, I’m happy with - £120k and you’ve got to think what other players are going to look at that and want parity.

They're also said to be after Bissouma.

Gerrard does like to make a lot of signings. He did the same with Rangers.

[RuffRob]

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/aston-villas-700-million-transfer-23008113

Villa have been very lucky that they have had some big money coming in for Grealish - but they are spending big money on older players on big contracts both in the summer and in January - lets not forget they only finished 6 points and 2 places above us. We played them at Goodison at a very bad time for us, they are pretty much only that win above us, in what is considered a diabolical season for us. The have spent massive across that team this year and the league table suggest they are not much better off that us. 

They could be a team heading in a similar direction to where we have been over the past few years. If Gerrard has a poor start next year his job will be well and truly on the line, as with big spending comes bigger expectations!! we have been through it. Villa's owners are going to demand and expect a European push next season. 

I would like to think we are now on a downward curve of excessive net spending (partly as its imposed), especially with lessons learnt, the new regime in place and new stadium well and truly on the horizon. 

 

[Shukes]

Is he actually doing his job? Why haven’t we signed any new prospects yet? 
Not being funny Kev, but pull your finger out.

And you don't want to hear any of this “transfer windows not even open yet” nonsense.

[Goodison Glory]

Good write up on the Athletic about the "Strategic Review" looks we are headed in the right direction with having a unified playing style across all age groups. Intent is one thing of course, let's see how we execute the idea.

"Crucially, the under-23s will be led by a head coach, not a manager, and that person will take direction from Thelwell after consultation with Lampard on the playing side. The aim will be to finally implement something Brands had pushed for — a unified style of play across all teams.

One of the key tasks for the club’s new coach educator Kevin Nicholson is to play a pivotal role in liaising with all age-group coaches to ensure those joined-up systems and style of play are instilled.

Another suggestion has been that Thelwell will look to appoint a loans manager, a position scrapped under his predecessor Brands"