Everton Women Sack manager Sorensen | Long overdue decision finally made

Everton Women have sacked manager Brian Sørensen with immediate effect after almost four years at the club, with assistants Stephen Neligan and Ashley Tootle also departing their roles with the Toffees.

The Dane had been at Everton since the summer of 2022, signing a new two-year contract as recently as April last year, but will now be succeeded by the Blues’ Under-18’s coach Scott Phelan.

The new interim boss will be assisted by Jennifer Foster, who had been part of Sorensen’s backroom staff for the past 12 months, as well as goalkeeping coach Ian McCaldon.

Making the announcement, Everton CEO Angus Kinnear said:

“We would like to thank Brian, Stephen and Ashley for their hard work and efforts in their time at the Club.

“Sunday’s first win of the season at Goodison Park was important, but it has become evident that a change of direction is necessary to ensure the progression on the pitch we are all striving for.”

Although the news is not the biggest surprise given the form of the side this season, the fact that Everton Women managed to finally secure their first home win in the WSL on Sunday may leave some to question why now.

Arriving in 2022, Sorensen arrived at Everton with an ethos of promoting youth and possession-based football, the former is something both Aggie Beever-Jones and Jess Park will attest to, with both enjoying successful loan spells on Merseyside that proved to be a springboard for their domestic and international careers.

But it can’t be overlooked that some of Sorensen’s philosophies were detrimental to his team’s progress, with the Toffees often the WSL’s slow starters during the 45-year-old’s reign, while a determination to stick to a ball-playing style when fans were often screaming for a more direct approach contributed to a change of attitude by a number of supporters, if a number of this season’s social media posts are anything to go by.

A tenure that was often plagued by injuries and key stars leaving for pastures new during Sorensen’s time in charge, this pre-season saw the former Fortuna Hjørring gaffer backed significantly in the transfer market, including the club breaking its transfer record to acquire Ruby Mace.

A debut hattrick from fellow new face Ornella Vignola at Anfield on the opening day of the 2025/26 season offered a real hope to the Goodison faithful, but it proved a false dawn as a series of lacklustre performances as the Toffees went eight league games without a win, until doing the impossible and ending Chelsea’s 31 game unbeaten run in the WSL.

What Now For Blues?

While a long-term successor for Everton Women is yet to be determined, Phelan will definitely be in the hotseat when the Blues travel to London City Lionesses this weekend, but who is the man now in temporary charge at Goodison?

At 37, this is the Liverpool-born’s first managerial role, although Phelan is no stranger to the city’s senior club.

A product of Everton’s Academy, the former Bradford City star captained the Blues at U-18 team and earned England caps at U-16, U-17 and U-18 level, before a senior career in the game beckoned.

Finishing his playing career in 2012, Phelan has coached within Everton’s Finch Farm Academy for more than 10 years, holding lead roles at various age levels, including the men’s U-18s and U-23s.

Kramžar In On Deadline Day

While the big news for Everton Women has been the managerial change, the club has also seen a change in playing personnel, with promising Slovenia international midfielder Zara Kramžar joining on loan from fellow Friedkin Group club AS Roma for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, with an obligation to make the move permanent this summer.

The 20-year-old, who was named the best young international talent at the 2023 European Women’s Football Gala, makes the switch to Merseyside – pending completion of an International Transfer Certificate – but will face competition for a starting place, given midfield is arguably the team’s strongest area of the field in terms of depth.