Dyche faces daunting start as ailing Everton hosts Arsenal

LONDON (Reuters) - New Everton boss Sean Dyche could hardly have chosen a bigger challenge than answering the ailing Merseyside club’s emergency call as he resumes his managerial career with a side seemingly spiraling towards the second tier of English soccer.

The 51-year-old Dyche was used to battling the odds at unfashionable Burnley, gaining a reputation as an astute tactician and motivator who squeezed every ounce of potential out of his squad during six full top-flight seasons.

It was presumably why he was chosen by Everton, hopefully as a savior from relegation or a manager capable of leading them back up if the worst should happen and they fall out of the Premier League for the first time.

Dyche, Everton’s fifth manager in five years, begins what some call mission impossible on Saturday and it could hardly be a more challenging start with leader Arsenal at Goodison Park for a lunchtime kickoff.

With nine defeats and one win from its last 12 league games under former manager Frank Lampard and escalating discontent with the club’s ownership, only the most wildly optimistic fan will believe Everton can inflict only a second league defeat of the season on Arsenal.

To add another layer of gloom over the blue half of Merseyside, a transfer window that saw record spending in the Premier League completely passed Everton by.

While relegation rivals like Bournemouth (50 million pounds ($61.65 million)), Leeds United (36 million) and Southampton (56 million) beefed up their squads with new signings, Everton spent zero despite selling young winger Anthony Gordon to Newcastle United.

It means Dyche will have to make do and mend with a squad that looks ill-equipped for a survival battle.

Arsenal, under former Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta, is favored to win its first league title since the 2003/04 season and can open an eight-point gap over Manchester City if it wins on Saturday.

The north London club added Chelsea midfielder Jorginho and Brighton & Hove Albion winger Leandro Trossard in the January transfer window, both of whom could feature on Saturday.

Chelsea fans are still dizzy from a month which saw the club spend nearly 300 million pounds on eight new players – notably the 106 million British record signing of Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica on deadline day.

The 22-year-old could make his debut for 10th-place Chelsea at home to Fulham, which is seventh, on Friday.

Champion Manchester City, which was quiet in the window and surprisingly loaned right back Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich, travels to inconsistent Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday when the hosts will likely hand a debut to Pedro Porro.

Third-place Newcastle United, buoyant after reaching the League Cup final, hosts West Ham United in Saturday’s late kickoff after fourth-place Manchester United, which also reached the Wembley showpiece, welcomes Crystal Palace.

Liverpool, wallowing in ninth, will aim to end a threematch winless league streak with a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.