Dan Purdy's Everton exit would be less than ideal timing | OneFootball

Most football fans are probably not aware of the name Dan Purdy, but the 31-year-old has been with Everton since 2013 in different roles, most recently as Head of Recruitment since 2021.

Now, Patrick Boyland of The Athletic is reporting that Purdy is set to leave the club as it begins its front office restructuring under new CEO Angus Kinnear. This comes on the heels of the announcement that current Director of Football Kevin Thelwell will depart for Rangers in Scotland upon the termination of his contract in June.

Purdy was instrumental in helping Everton survive one of the most financially complicated eras in its history while still bringing in quality talent like Amadou Onana, James Garner, and Iliman Ndiaye, all of whom came in on deals that allowed the Toffees to avoid further problems with PSR regulations.

In that sense, Purdy's departure comes at a rather awkward time.

Sure, it's fair to say that his position was going to change with the creation of a recruitment board and maybe Purdy was looking to maintain his position as is has been, but with Kinnear not set to begin his new role until June 1 and all the other moving parts (Everton are also bringing on Nick Hammond, who was with Kinnear at Leeds), it might have been beneficial for the club to maintain some continuity on the recruitment team.

Not to mention that Purdy and Thelwell did an exceptional job under the circumstances to bring in those talented, if not under the radar, players to keep the club afloat.

This means the vital summer ahead may get off to a bit of a false start, with the hope that things are already beginning to take shape behind the scenes to avoid too much of a lull in the necessary recruiting and signing of new players.