Everton have sacked Ronald Koeman after a poor start to the season.
Sunday’s 5-2 humiliation at the hands of Arsenal placed the Blues in the Premier League’s relegation zone on the back of a dismal run of form.
Koeman presided over just two league wins and a Carabao Cup victory over Sunderland in a season where the club had spent over £140 million.
Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Ajax captain Davy Klaassen were among a host of players that arrived in the summer months but failed to impress.
“Everton Football Club can confirm that Ronald Koeman has left the club,” read a club statement.
“Chairman Bill Kenwright, the board of directors and major shareholder Farhad Moshiri would all like to express their gratitude to Ronald for the service he has given to the club over the past 16 months and for guiding the club to seventh place in last season’s Premier League campaign.”
The Dutchman guided Everton to a Europa League qualification place during his first season in charge with a seventh-place finish in the table.
Speaking after the Arsenal defeat, Koeman remained confident in turning around Everton’s fortunes despite the club tumbling into the bottom three.
“I still personally believe that I can change the whole situation,” he said at the time.
“But everybody knows how it works in football.
“That’s only what I am answering about this question. Ask somebody else.”
Former Everton players David Unsworth and John Ebbrell have been placed in temporary charge for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea.
The pair presided over the club’s under-23 side during their Premier League 2 title-winning campaign last season and were part of the last Goodison side to lift silverware in 1995.
Unsworth also took the helm for a 3-0 win over Norwich City on the final day of the 2015/16 season, just days after Roberto Martinez was deposed as manager.