Everton are planning to appoint Nick Cox as their new technical director by luring him away from Manchester United, reports Mark Douglas and Pete Hall of I News.
The development has also been confirmed by Partrick Boyland of The Athletic.
Cox currently serves as the director of the academy and has been at Old Trafford for a decade.
The Toffees continue to make a series of changes to their backroom and administrative staff following The Friedkin Group takeover last December.
“The i Paper understands that Cox will have a wide-ranging remit in his new role and that Everton still plan to appoint an academy director to replace Gareth Prosser, who left to join Al-Jazira in the United Arab Emirates last month,” the report mentioned.
“While he is not taking a job specifically focused on youth development, Cox’s expertise in academy matters will come in useful with Everton planning to restructure their academy operations after Prosser left the club to join Al-Jazira in the United Arab Emirates last month. James Vaughan, the former head of academy recruitment and player pathways, left in April.”
The Blues have also brought Manchester City’s director of scouting and recruitment James Smith back to the club and he will take over a senior scouting role.
Following Kevin Thelwell’s departure as director of football, the club, led by new chief executive Angus Kinnear, has opted for a “broader, flatter” structure with individual experts in recruitment, data analysis and player negotiations.
“Cox’s impending appointment is arguably the final piece of the jigsaw as Kinnear assembles his new-look team. Through executive search firm Nolan Partners, the club had been searching for a new figure to take over some of former director of football Kevin Thelwell’s responsibilities,” said a report in The Athletic.
“Cox will be expected to oversee the running of most of Everton’s football departments, including medical and the academy (recruitment will be handled by different figures).”
Cox, who had previously turned down various technical director and sporting director roles with clubs across Europe over the years, is excited by the prospect of joining Everton. He joined Man Utd in 2016 and became the head of academy in 2020, in charge of overseeing the club’s development programme from under-9s through to the U-21 team. He also has the experience of working for Watford’s academy as well as at Sheffield United.
The 47-year-old’s departure is “understood to be amicable” according to the report. He will not join the Toffees immediately and will instead remain at Man Utd in the coming months to assist with a smooth transition. Cox recently earned his Uefa Pro Licence and his work with the Man Utd academy has been highly rated. 38 academy players have made their first-team debuts under Cox’s regime, including the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.
