'Dyche has done an extraordinary job this season'
New York Times journalist Rory Smith has hailed the "extraordinary job" Sean Dyche has done at Everton this season.
The Toffees were deducted eight points across the campaign for breaching Premier League financial rules, but have achieved safety with three games to spare.
"Dyche deserves huge amounts of credit for what he has done at Everton," Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.
"What he's done this season has been fantastic.
"Given where Everton were, everything he has had to deal with and the fact the club's finances were - and are - in such a state that he could not really reinforce last summer, it's hugely impressive.
"They have taken 44 points - if you add on the points they have been deducted - which would have them comfortably mid-table.
"They were poor for two or three months in the middle of the season, but they have found a way to respond to it. He's done an extraordinary job this season."
The prospective takeover of the club by 777 Partners, however, is another issue that has dragged on throughout the season and Smith believes the uncertainty over the club's future means Dyche is unlikely to be able to significantly build on this season's performance.
"The reason things have been like this at Everton for so long is that they have spent money appallingly in vast sums and they are still paying the price for that," he added.
"I'm sure Sean Dyche will be sitting at home wanting to think about how he can get the club into the top half next season - but he can't think like that because of the two potential ownership groups.
"Farhad Moshiri seems to have checked out completely. He has run the club into the ground and was reliant on money from someone who is no longer allowed to put money into the club.
"And nobody thinks 777 is a good idea because there is something clearly very unsettling to the Premier League about that takeover option.
"Unless something else appears on the horizon, Dyche will probably go into next season with roughly the same aim as he did for this: ensuring they don't get relegated."
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