Everton’s new Chief Executive Officer Angus Kinnear has outlined his first priorities and ambitions with the Blues in a wide-ranging first interview with evertontv.
Kinnear, who brings more than 20 years of leadership experience within football, says the Club is about to embark upon an exciting new chapter, having been impressed by the combination of pragmatism and ambition shown by new owners, The Friedkin Group.
He believes The Toffees’ move to the “truly world-class” Everton Stadium will be “a real catalyst for positive change” by providing increased revenue streams and a platform to build a team befitting of “one of the best stadiums in Europe”.
The new CEO also spoke about the significance of Everton Women’s move to Goodison Park next season, and the talented football structure that is being put in place that he believes will excite Evertonians.
Watch the full evertontv interview below to hear Kinnear discuss a range of topics, including:
- Feeling inspired by Everton’s rich history and passionate fanbase
- Everton’s new football structure to support manager David Moyes
- A football-first approach that will drive decision-making
- The benefits of moving to the new stadium
- His relationship with Moyes
- The importance of Everton’s Academy
- Goodison Park’s Premier League farewell this weekend
- The importance of Everton Women and their upcoming move to Goodison
- Solidifying the Men’s Senior Team and ultimately aiming to challenge “at the top table of European football”
Download video link: https://evertonfc.sharefile.com/public/share/web-s76f5163839e84f60b85b1dfad4469465
Adopting a football-first approach, Kinnear, who held senior positions at Arsenal and West Ham United prior to his spell as Leeds United CEO, also discussed Everton’s football structure that will support manager David Moyes going forward.
“I think there’s been a move in recent years to a single Director of Football model and that can be challenging,” he said. “We’re going to move to a broader, flatter structure, where we have experts in data and analytics, in football operations, in recruitment and talent ID, and then in player trading.
“Some of those people have already come onboard and there are going to be some more announcements over the next couple of weeks. I’ve been delighted by the quality of individuals that we’ve been able to attract.
“I think when Everton fans see it, they’re going to be really reassured that we’ve got, I think, a world-class football operations team in place who’ll be there to support David, who we think is a world-class manager.”
On this summer’s plans for the Senior Men’s Team, Kinnear continued: “There’s a huge restructure to be done in terms of the squad. I think it’s pretty unprecedented at Premier League level. But I think David and I see that as an opportunity to take the team on to the next level, to build on all his good work and fundamentally to have a team which is looking up the table.”
On wider ambitions for Everton, he added: “I see the potential in everything that Everton is and everything that it can be. I want to be aggressive in our ambitions. I think there’s lots of case studies that we’ve seen recently of teams that I would see as smaller than Everton. Perhaps Nottingham Forest making a run on Europe, Crystal Palace getting to an FA Cup final. They’re all things that should be in our ambitions for the medium-term.
“Longer term, I think we can look beyond that. I think there’s no reason why Everton can’t challenge it at the top table of European football. We have to be pragmatic. We have to be balanced. We have to be sensible in our decisions. We have to work in a structure where we’re not worried about relegation, where we’re not concerned by regulatory issues, which have pinned the club back. We need to create a firm foundation that we can build on.”
Discussing Everton Women’s historic move to Goodison Park, Kinnear said: “I think it’s a fantastic move. I think it’s bold. I think it’s not without its risks and without its challenges. But that’s what I want to be. I want to be a part of a Club which pushes the boundaries and takes risks and embraces those types of challenges. And I think to be able to preserve the heritage of this wonderful ground and be the first team in the Premier League to effectively entrust a Premier League stadium with its Women’s team is a bold and brave move, but I think it’s the type of move that really has the potential to unlock the Women’s game, not just for Everton, not just in the city of Liverpool, but nationally as well. I think for Everton to effectively be operating two Premier League-standard stadiums, one for the Men and one for the Women, really sets us apart and creates a fantastic platform for growth.”