27 January 2024 , 03:00
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Sean Dyche claims he could not offer Andros Townsend a new contract because of Everton's money problems.
Dyche was told to cut Everton's wage bill when he took over a year ago and says he could not table Townsend new terms when he was still battling back from a serious knee injury.
Townsend, 32, joined Luton on a free in October and is proving he can still cut it in the top flight as he returns to Goodison Park today in the FA Cup.
“He was coming off such a long-term injury and he’d worked incredibly hard to work through that and he’d looked after himself incredibly well,” said the Everton boss.
“But you know, going on a maybe when we were trying to get a definite was a tricky situation. You know the players here have been on good contracts and it was quite obvious that we had to lose players here to try and bring all that down.
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“So he was just caught in the mix of everything really, not truly fit, not truly available to us, hadn’t truly put the minutes in on the pitch through no fault of his.
“And yet he was a great lad, a great pro, he was excellent with me. We had a great chat on a number of times about what he felt about the group, what he felt was needed. He was very honest, very forthright beyond his own situation and I admire him for that.”
Dyche says he is delighted to see Townsend lighting up the Premier League stage with the Hatters after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in March 2022.
“I’m really pleased for Andros,” he said. “He went through a lot, I had a good relationship with him. We tried to share that kind of mutual respect for his injury and his situation and I like to think he felt that was there. His attitude towards us and the club were spot on. I’m pleased he’s got another chance and that it’s going well.”
Andros Townsend left Everton on a freeDyche clocks up a year in charge on Tuesday, after outlasting predecessors Frank Lampard and Rafa Benitez, and says he will never forget Everton’s last-day win over Bournemouth, which clinched Premier League survival.
“The game that sticks out is the last one of last season, obviously,” he said. “It was a hideous game and you take joy from the fact that you could model a team with players missing everywhere and find a way to win.
“I was very, very pleased with that week’s work from me, my staff and my players because we put a lot of work into that. Knowing it was a massive game, knowing so much was riding on it, to handle all that, plan it and get a result was very, very pleasing.”