Everton set to unveil Round

Everton are expected to name Steve Round as their new assistant manager today.

The Merseysiders return for pre-season training this morning, and boss David Moyes is likely to have 37-year-old Round at his side.

Round will leave Newcastle after one season on their coaching staff to link up with the Goodison Park club, where Moyes has been working without an assistant since Alan Irvine took over as boss of Preston in November.

Late night negotiations between the clubs yesterday are believed to have thrashed out a compensation deal to allow Round to leave the north east.

Previous attempts to tie up the move had been blocked by Newcastle, who insisted Round was not out of contract.

Everton believed the former Middlesbrough and Derby coach’s deal at Newcastle had ended this week without the need for compensation.

But Round’s contract with the Geordies was discovered to be a rolling agreement and they, in effect, had a year option on the man who had also worked under Steve McClaren in the England set-up.

It had seemed this problem would stop Round being involved at Everton with the senior players this week.

But Round’s agent Colin Oliver was convinced a deal could be struck, and the word certainly from the Newcastle end of the negotiations last night was the one-time full-back was on his way to start his new job.

Round moved from Middlesbrough when Gareth Southgate took over and was Sam Allardyce’s first appointment to his own coaching staff at Newcastle this time last year.