Everton miss out on Royle appointment

Joe Royle will not be making a dramatic return to Everton - for now at least - after agreeing a deal to join Norwich.

The former Everton striker and manager has agreed to become 'football consultant' at the recently relegated Canaries, now managed by another for Toffee Neil Adams.

Former midfielder Adams is familiar with Royle after playing under him at Oldham Athletic in the late '80s and early '90s.

Royle scored more than 100 goals for Everton between 1966 and 1975 before returning to the club as manager between 1994 and 1997.

He remains the last Everton boss to win major silverware after the team's famous 1995 FA Cup win.

Speculation in the local press a few months ago suggested that Royle was poised to return as a member of Roberto Martinez's backroom team, with a focus on developing young players.

Martinez told the Liverpool Echo back in April that he would "love" Royle to join Everton, but those hopes have now been dashed.

Speaking of the appointment Norwich boss Adams said:

"Joe is someone who I have played for at both Championship and Premier League level, and he has amassed a vast amount of knowledge during his time in the game.

"He has been there, seen it and done it so to speak, and has also been very successful during his time as both a player and a manager."