The Friedkin Group have confirmed the departures of director of football Kevin Thelwell and chief commercial and communications officer Richard Kenyon and the appointment of Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear
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Sport
16:00, 07 Mar 2025
PETERBOROUGH, ENGLAND - JANUARY 07: Leeds United Chief Executive Angus Kinnear during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Peterborough United and Leeds United at Weston Homes Stadium on January 07, 2024 in Peterborough, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Everton have announced Angus Kinnear will become the club's new CEO at the end of the season after he leaves Leeds United
(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Everton have announced a series of changes at the top of the club as new owners The Friedkin Group continue to overhaul the club. Current Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear will take on a similar post on Merseyside from the summer, while the Blues have also confirmed Kevin Thelwell will leave the club at the end of the season.
The director of football, who arrived on Merseyside in February 2022, has overseen three years of turbulence behind the scenes at the club. But, as previously reported by the ECHO, his contract will not be extended beyond its summer expiration date. Former interim CEO Colin Chong will remain at Everton though another key figure, Richard Kenyon, will depart.
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Kinnear, touted for a senior role at the Blues since the arrival of TFG in December, has been chief executive at Elland Road since 2017. He was in post when the club was promoted to the Premier League in 2020 and during its takeover three years later.
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He will remain in post until the end of the campaign before switching to Everton. Announcing his planned departure from Leeds, chairman Paraag Marathe said: “I want to thank Angus for his commitment and service for so many years, and for being a fantastic steward and leader of the club. As we move forward, I am confident that the incredible talent across our team will sustain our success. In the meantime, I look forward to continuing to work with both Angus and Peter [McCormick, who is joining Leeds as executive vice chairman] as we fight for promotion in the coming weeks.”
Thelwell, meanwhile, was hired to oversee a rebuild of the club while working with then manager Frank Lampard to take the Blues forward on the pitch. There were genuine hopes that would be the case when the club came through the chastening relegation fight that culminated in the dramatic comeback win over Crystal Palace months later.
Instead, he became a firefighter against the crises that engulfed the club from the following season. They included further relegation fights, boardroom and ownership turmoil and the financial issues that led to the two points deductions suffered by the club last season.
Against that backdrop, and one of increasing financial difficulty as previous owner Farhad Moshiri sought an escape from the club, he also sought to maintain a side that could stay in the Premier League while having to sell some of the club’s best players and slash the wage bill. Everton’s net spend over Thelwell’s time in charge is around £80m lower than Wolverhampton Wanderers, the next lowest spending ever-present Premier League club of his tenure.
While Thelwell’s work has divided opinion among sections of the fanbase - the failed signing of Neal Maupay one of the more obvious criticisms of his time in charge - he has played a key role in the Blues maintaining the club’s top flight status during a period of utter turmoil. There have been successes beyond that too - his first signing James Tarkowski has become integral to the side, Amadou Onana was sold for a substantial profit and in the likes of Dwight McNeil, James Garner, Iliman Ndiaye, Jake O’Brien and Jarrad Branthwaite, a young core of talented players could form the nucleus of the side that will lead Everton into their new home over the summer.
Thelwell will remain in place until Kinnear joins on June 1. After his departure, the club will move from a single director of football to a “wider sporting leadership team”. More appointments are expected and planning for the summer is already underway, led by the sporting department Thelwell is currently head of, and David Moyes.
On confirmation of his exit, Thelwell said: “I am extremely proud of what we have achieved in the most challenging of circumstances over the past three years and believe I’ll leave the club in a much stronger position than when I joined in 2022. It has been a privilege to work for Everton Football Club and I would like to thank the players, staff and of course the fans for their fantastic support during my time here. I also look forward to seeing the club progress on and off the pitch in the years to come under the stewardship of TFG.”
Chong, a key figure on the interim board, upon which he was the temporary CEO, that presided over the club before the takeover, will remain with the club, as expected. He will oversee Everton’s new stadium and the work to regenerate the surrounding area, as well the future of Goodison Park.
He said: “It has been an honour to serve as Everton’s CEO and to shepherd the club through challenging times and into a bright new future under The Friedkin Group. I look forward to taking on this new role focusing on our new home and, just as importantly, the regeneration of the area around it.”
Chief commercial and communications officer Kenyon is also departing as part of the overhaul. He served for more than 11 years in a variety of senior leadership positions, including as CEO of Everton in the Community from 2018 to 2021. Like Chong, he has been influential behind the scenes during the turbulence of the last few years. His responsibilities will be divided between existing staff and new senior appointments to be announced as part of a new executive leadership team.
He said: "I am proud of my 11 years at Everton and that I am able to leave the club at a time of stability and genuine optimism. Despite facing unprecedented challenges over recent years, we have achieved some great things – notably delivering our new stadium and the commercial step-change that will support the growth of the club for many years to come. It has been a pleasure to work alongside TFG, and every Evertonian should be excited by their ambition – I believe they are the perfect custodians for our great club. Personally, I’m looking forward to a new professional opportunity and to taking my place as a fan at our magnificent waterfront stadium later this year.”
On the changes, Blues executive chairman Marc Watts said: “Angus is one of England’s leading football executives and brings a wealth of relevant experience. His appointment means Everton will go into the summer with a first-class leader.
“A warm thank you to Colin for his leadership in steering the club through some of the most challenging times in its history. I’m delighted and comforted that he will remain with us in a vitally important role as we use the new Everton Stadium as a launchpad for regeneration of the local area.
“Kevin has been integral in ensuring Premier League survival in this difficult period. By resolving PSR issues through significant player trading we believe we have an extraordinary squad that can be the foundation for future success. This future success will also be supported by our talented sporting department assembled by Kevin. We are pleased Kevin will remain with us in this interim period.
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“I also want to thank Richard for his many years of service to Everton and for his personal support to us at The Friedkin Group in our first months at the club. He leaves having played a key role in the delivery of our new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, from the consultation process, through to the premium and season ticket sales as we prepare to move into our new home. As he embarks on his next professional adventure, he does so knowing he will always be welcome here."