Abu Dhabi: Ronald Koeman, the newly appointed Everton manager, has vowed to create “a special part” in the Toffees’ proud history by bringing long-awaited silverware to the fallen giants and restoring them to the upper echelons of the English game.
The Dutchman quit fellow English Premier League outfit Southampton last Tuesday to join Everton on a three-year deal worth 6 million pounds (Dh31.64 million) a season to replace Roberto Martinez, who was sacked last month.
In an interview with Gulf News facilitated by Everton on Friday, Koeman said he was determined to lift the Liverpool club from mid-table mediocrity – they finished 11th in the EPL last season – to “a high position”.
Everton’s last major trophy was the 1995 FA Cup and they have not won England’s top flight since 1987, but Koeman insists he can recapture such glory days.
“It is a great feeling to be Everton manager,” the 53-year-old Dutchman said. “From the beginning, I got the feeling from the chairman, Bill Kenwright, and from Farhad Moshiri, the club’s major shareholder, that I was their number one choice [to be manager] and that is always a great feeling.
“Everton, of course, is a club with a really big history. In terms of league titles, we are the fourth most successful club in the history of English football with nine championships, as many as Manchester City and Chelsea combined. Now it is about what we can do to claim our own special part in this history.
“We want to make the team strong and we will do this with all the people who are at Everton. In general, Everton had a strong squad last season. Of course, there will be changes in the squad but that is the same for every club ahead of a new season.
“I will be talking to people at the club over the weekend to make a plan over the next couple of weeks, then start pre-season and make sure we have a really strong team so we can fight for a high position in the Premier League table.”
The former Barcelona defender, who won 10 major trophies with the Catalan club between 1989 and 1995, is relishing the chance to pit his wits against other managerial luminaries in the north west of England next season.
“It is interesting because people are talking about the managers in the north west of England – me, [Liverpool’s] Jurgen Klopp, [Manchester United’s] Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola [at Manchester City]. Pep is a good friend of mine and it’s nice to have those managers here because in the Premier League we try to have the best players and the best managers.
“Mourinho is back in the game and with Manchester United, it’s nice to get maybe the best coach from Germany, Pep Guardiola, to Man City which makes the Premier League more exciting for everybody. To be part of this is amazing and I’m very proud to be manager of Everton. We will do all we can to bring success here to the club.”
Koeman was a member of the Netherlands’ team which won the 1988 European Championship and remains heavily influenced by his country’s rich footballing heritage.
“I’m one of the Dutch coaches, of course, and Dutch coaches like to dominate games and not wait,” Koeman, who won 78 caps and scored 14 goals for his country between 1982 and 1994, said. “I like to play attacking football and to press the opposition, to make it difficult. That’s what we like to do and that’s how we will do the [training] sessions. It’s all about trying to dominate the game and giving the fans enjoyable football.”
“In my own playing career, I had some very good coaches leading me,” he added. “I had Johan Cruyff for seven years as a player and learned a lot from him. In my opinion he was the best. I was also very fortunate to be managed by Guus Hiddink, Dick Advocaat and also Rinus Michels when we won Euro 1988 with the Dutch national team.
“All of those managers taught me a lot but the most important thing is to keep your own character and to not play or show something different. I’ve always been myself and what I will need in the rest of the people in the technical staff is to give a good direction to this Everton team.”
