Everton part ways with Ronald Koeman

Everton have ended their association with manager Ronald Koeman following the Toffees' 5-2 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

The Merseyside outfit have endured a poor start to the campaign in both domestic and in Europe despite spending over £140m on new recruits in the summer.

Koeman faced a must-win game against the Gunners yesterday after having attained just two wins in the top-flight, but the north London side were just too good on the day.

The Dutchman's departure looked very much certain following the defeat, and the Toffees have now confirmed via their official website that they have cut ties with their head coach.

"Everton Football Club can confirm that Ronald Koeman has left the club," read a statement on the Toffees website. "Chairman Bill Kenwright, the board of directors and major shareholders Farhad Moshiri would all like to express their gratitude to Ronald for the service he has given to the club over the past 16 months and for guiding the club to seventh place in last season's Premier League campaign."

Koeman took charge of the Merseyside club prior to the start of the previous season, and he guided them to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League standings.

However, he could not maintain a similar run with the Toffees this term with a run of five winless games in all competitions costing him his job.

Everton's under 23 manager David Unsworth is likely to act as the caretaking manager when the club take on Chelsea in the League Cup fourth round on Wednesday.