Everton tempts Steve Walsh from Leicester for director post

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Everton has completed what could be one of the finest pieces of business during the summer transfer window by appointing Steve Walsh as director of football.

Walsh served as Leicester City's head of recruitment and assistant manager to great acclaim before being tempted to Merseyside.

It marks an exciting time for the Toffees, with the news coming shortly after the arrival of new majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and Ronald Koeman's appointment as manager last month.

"I'm proud and privileged to become director of football at such a fantastic and historic club," Walsh said in a statement Thursday. "With a new manager and a new major shareholder, it feels very much like a new era here at Everton and that potential is what is most exciting.

"I know the club well, my roots are in the northwest and my brother, Mickey, was an Everton player in the Bob Latchford era and always proud of that fact."

Walsh's list of players he's advised during stints scouting at Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Leicester includes Gianfranco Zola, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, and N'Golo Kante. It's hoped that his talent for recognising untapped potential can continue to be evident at Goodison Park, where wholesale changes are expected before the transfer window swings shut in September.

"It's really good for the club to have someone in Steve who has shown his quality in his job at a number of clubs over many years," Koeman said. "That's the experience and quality he will bring to us at a good time in the season.

"He has a great deal of knowledge about building for the long term and the magnificent work he did at Leicester on top of the job he did at Chelsea makes us excited to have him here at Everton."

The Toffees are apparently interested in meeting the £35-million asking price for Newcastle United midfielder Moussa Sissoko, but face significant competition from Juventus for his signature.

So far this summer, Bassala Sambou, Chris Renshaw, and Maarten Stekelenburg have been welcomed to Walton.