The group tasked with behind-the-scenes football leadership for Everton Football Club is beginning to take shape, with the news that Nick Cox will be joining from Manchester United to join as the Technical Director for Everton.
According to Patrick Boyland and Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic, Everton are in "advanced talks" to bring Cox to Merseyside and, with his experience at United's academy, the move is seen "as a coup" at Everton.
This would be Cox's first role overseeing players at the first team level, with his experience at United, Sheffield United, and Watford all coming from the academy side of all three clubs.
Boyland indicates that Cox's appointment could be the "final piece of the jigsaw as [Everton CEO Angus] Kinnear assembles his new-look team" and that the 47-year-old Englishman will "oversee the running of most of Everton's football departments, including medical and the academy" with recruitment falling under the purview of other parts of the team.
The move is important, not just because it shows Everton's desire to bring in top talent to run the football club, but also because it gives some sort of indication as to how strong a draw the new Hill Dickinson Stadium is and how interested people around the UK and elsewhere might be in joining Everton as it begins a new chapter in the club's history.
There has been a lot of consideration as to what difference the move to Bramley Moore Dock would have on the club, and if this level of interest can be attractive to coaches and directors, maybe, in due time, players will also be drawn to the project, helping elevate the club back into the limelight across Europe and beyond.