New Director of Football vows to bring successful long-term structure to Club and reveals manager plan.

New Director of Football Marcel Brands has outlined his blueprint to bring a successful long-term structure to Everton, vowing to work tirelessly to deliver "football on the highest level" for a "very special club".



Brands, who described his appointment as "an honour", has made it his priority to ensure Everton appoints a “modern manager” who will share in his vision so that the Blues will be competitive from the opening game of the 2018/19 Premier League season.



And the Dutchman has revealed how he will work with major shareholder Farhad Moshiri, Chairman Bill Kenwright and new Chief Executive Officer, Professor Denise Barrett-Baxendale, to ensure Evertonians are “proud of their club”.



"From the conversations I had with Bill [Kenwright] and Farhad [Moshiri] and also Denise, the most important aspect is structure and that we have good people who want to work very hard," Brands, who will officially join from PSV Eindhoven on 1 June, told evertontv.



"The priority in the first month is the first team and to be ready for the start of the next Premier League season. The [overall plan] has to be long-term, though. That’s also the goal I was given in the conversations I had with the Club.



"What the people around the Club will see is new signings but behind-the-scenes there will be a lot of work and, of course, the first thing is a new manager.



"I think it is important that he wants to work in the new philosophy, the new strategy of how we want to work with a Director of Football. I think it is important that he creates the environment for the long-term, and I think it is important that he is a modern coach. If you think about what Everton’s plans are, I think a modern coach will fit into that profile.



"Then his philosophy and how he wants to play is important. I think it has to be a coach who wants to work with young players.



"I have watched several Everton games and I have looked at the players. I also saw some who were on loan to other clubs but if we are going to take decisions about players it is important the manager is involved because he is going to work with them every day.



"I will take care of the long-term strategy but the first job now is to find a manager as soon as possible and straight away go to work with the squad.



Brands added: “I’ve already had contact with Denise a few times and that’s very important, though not only with Denise but with everyone at Everton. I’m a people manager, I’m not a guy who finds things just in his own way - we have to do it together. I believe in a strong structure with people working together in an open and transparent atmosphere. You have to trust each other because we have one job, one goal and we do it all for one club, and that’s Everton. That’s my philosophy.”







Since his retirement as a player in 1997, Brands has established a reputation for developing players and building clubs in technical roles in his homeland at RKC Waalwijk, AZ Alkmaar and, most recently, PSV Eindhoven, the Dutch champions in three of the past four seasons.



"After eight years [at PSV] I’ve taken the decision to go to Everton, to the Premier League, and I think that is another step in my career at a very special club," said the 56-year-old. "There are a lot of things to do at the Club but that's also a big challenge for me.



"It’s an honour to be asked by a big club like Everton, in one of the biggest competitions, and I will do my best every day."



Tasked with overhauling PSV's transfer strategy and rejuvenating its academy, Brands set about building one of the youngest teams ever to win the Eredivisie, the first of those three titles coming in 2014/15, five years after his appointment at the Philips Stadion.



At Everton he will inherit one of English football's most productive and respected youth systems and insists continuing the Toffees' tradition of blooding its own will be high on his agenda.



"It’s important for the Club that we play football on the highest level," he said. "The youth academy at a club is very important and that was also one of the goals I had when I went to PSV and also needs to be one of the goals I have at Everton.



"Of course, we do it for the supporters because it’s their club, it’s not ours. We have to work for Everton because they have to be proud of their club.



"I’ll try to bring my experience of the past 20 years and I hope we will have as much success as I had in Holland, that I can realise that and that the fans will be very happy."







Brands admits he has been preparing for his first day at USM Finch Farm by studying up on Everton's history and understanding the rich heritage and traditions of a Club he says is known "everywhere in the world".



He added: "Everyone knows Everton but the last month I’ve had some conversations and read a lot about the Club and you see it’s huge. It’s big everywhere in the world, people know Everton.



"One of my colleagues, an assistant coach at PSV, Boudewijn Zenden, played for Liverpool and he said to me that from 1 June, ‘You are a bluenose!’.



"I am very motivated, I hope to have a lot of fun and [do] a great job at Everton."