David Moyes will hold further talks over a stunning return to Everton after an extraordinary day at Goodison Park, in which Sean Dyche was sacked three hours before the FA Cup tie against Peterborough.

Dyche took training in the morning before discussions in the afternoon led to his dismissal, which was confirmed in a statement from the club that did not thank the 53-year-old for his two years in charge.

Talks have already begun with Moyes and will continue, with the Scottish manager the leading candidate and moving closer to a second spell on Merseyside after his 11 years in charge ended in 2013 with his move to Manchester United.

Former Everton full-back Leighton Baines and current captain Seamus Coleman were in charge for the Cup tie against Peterborough, with players informed of Dyche’s departure as they prepared for the third-round fixture.

Dyche’s dismissal came just 21 days after the Friedkin Group completed its takeover of Everton, having bought the club from Farhad Moshiri. The deal for 99.5 per cent of the club was worth more than £400 million and Dyche had admitted he expected the new owners to be talking to other managers earlier this week.

There had been talks between Dyche and the club’s hierarchy with the decision made to make a change despite the Cup fixture being just a few hours away.

“Everton Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as senior men’s first team manager with immediate effect,” read the club’s statement. “Ian Woan, Steve Stone, Mark Howard and Billy Mercer have also left the club.

“The process to appoint a new manager is under way and an update will be provided in due course.”

Everton spoke to Graham Potter before his appointment at West Ham United. Jose Mourinho has been linked with the Goodison job but it is understood that any hope of landing the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur manager is a non-starter.

While Mourinho worked with Everton’s owner at Roma, he was sacked by the Italian club a year ago. His current contract at Turkish club Fenerbahce also includes a large compensation fee were he to leave.

Moyes, 61, has been on the market since the summer when he left West Ham, having taken them into Europe and leading them to the Europa Conference League triumph two seasons ago. He was recently in the stands to watch Manchester City’s win over West Ham while waiting for the right opportunity to return to the dugout.

The length of the next manager’s contract has been seen as important, given the rebuilding needed at Everton when they head to their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. There are 12 players in the squad with expiring contracts or returning to their clubs after loans.

With the new owner looking first to secure Premier League survival, the summer is expected to be a period when a new manager can start a new era for the club.

Dyche, 53, had overseen a run of one victory in 11 games which has left the club one point above the Premier League relegation zone.

He was in charge for one full season at Goodison, having joined them in the 2022-23 campaign and saving them from relegation on the final day of the season when they defeated Bournemouth. Last season they finished 15th, although the club had been docked points for breaching Premier League profitability and sustainability rules.

Such was the speed of his sacking that Dyche’s programme notes for the Peterborough tie were published and bought by fans at Goodison.

“As I’ve said before, and as I think is the case for pretty much every club in the Premier League, top-flight football will always be the bread and butter – but, of course, Everton’s proud record in this competition speaks for itself and we want to win every match we play in,” he wrote.

“We welcome Darren Ferguson, his players, staff and everyone connected to Peterborough to Goodison Park.”

Dyche had welcomed the new owner speaking to other managers while he was still in the job, he revealed earlier in the week. “If you own a business of this size, succession planning should surely be part of the diligence,” Dyche said. “I’ve got no problem with that at all. It should be ongoing at every club – what we’d regard as normal business life outside of football.”