Martínez was replaced in the summer of 2016 by Ronald Koeman, who left Southampton to sign a three-year contract with Everton. In his first season at the club, he guided them back into the group stages of the Europa League, entering the 3rd qualifying round after finishing 7th. The club reached the group stage, after wins over Ružomberok and FC Haidjuk Split, but did not progress further, finishing third behind Atalanta and Lyon. A poor start to the following season left Everton in the relegation zone after nine games, and Koeman was sacked on 23 October following a 5–2 home defeat to Arsenal. After a five-week period with David Unsworth as caretaker manager, Sam Allardyce was appointed Everton manager in November 2017, but he resigned at the end of the season amid fan discontent at his style of play.