I have full support of Everton board, claims Koeman

Ronald Koeman claims he has the “full support” of the Everton board despite the club’s desperately disappointing start to the season.

The Toffees spent big during the transfer window, with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Sandro Ramirez, Davy Klaassen and Michael Keane all arriving for sizeable sums.

But that influx of new talent has struggled to settle into life at Goodison Park, with Everton – who finished seventh in 2016-17 – languishing in 16th spot, just two points above the relegation zone.

Koeman’s side are up against it in the Europa League, too, taking a solitary point from their opening two group matches, but the Dutchman says he retains the backing of the club’s leadership ahead of Thursday’s home meeting with Lyon.

“They [owner Farhad Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright] came to see our new building and of course they had a good lunch and yes, they spoke about football,” Koeman said.

“There was not really a message but the feeling is that they are behind the manager and that is a nice thing, but everybody knows that in football it is all about results.

“For now I have full support from the board but we all know our results need to improve.

 | #OnThisDay in 2002… @WayneRooney introduced himself to the world 15 years ago.

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“We need a win to put us back into contention in the European group but we also need a win to boost our confidence.

“If we had scored the last two big chances we had at Brighton then the picture is changed for this game.

“We always knew we had a tough start to the season; when we play Arsenal on Sunday it will be the fifth game from nine against teams who finished in the top five of the Premier League last season.

“A good result will hopefully give the players a lift ahead of the Arsenal game and also the slightly easier league fixtures that follow. That is what we need to do.”