Everton have sacked manager Walter Smith, ending his three-and-a-half-year reign at the Merseyside club.
The club confirmed the news this morning after reports last night suggested Smith’s reign had come to an end.
It has been reported that Preston manager, David Moyes, will succeed Smith at the club.
A statement this morning read: "Everton Football Club wishes to announce that its team manager Mr Walter Smith OBE has today left the club, his contract having been terminated.
"The club wishes to thank Mr Smith for his service since his appointment in the summer of 1998. The club has now begun the process of identifying and then appointing a new manager, something which, it is hoped, will be concluded as swiftly as possible.
"No further comment will be made until the club is in a position to name its new team manager."
Everton are currently in 15th place in the league, just one point above the relegation zone, and lost 3-0 at Middlesbrough in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday.