Andros Townsend reacts to Everton board departures and makes Bill Kenwright claim

Andros Townsend has given his reaction to the changes to the Everton board of directors.

The Toffees announced one week ago that chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, chief finance and strategy officer Grant Ingles and non-executive director Graeme Sharp had all left the club.

The decision came after months of fan protests calling for sweeping changes to the Goodison Park hierarchy amid combined losses of more than £400 million since 2019 and the club battling Premier League relegation for the past two seasons.

Everton said that a decision over chairman Bill Kenwright’s future would be made ‘in the next 48 hours’ although no further announcement has been made.

Townsend, speaking on talkSPORT, said that protests held by fans did not impact Everton’s players and saluted supporters for not allowing them to seep into matches.

And the winger, who spent the past two years at Goodison before his release following the expiry of his contract, gave an honest verdict on his dealings with Kenwright and Barrett-Baxendale.

Townsend said: “Not really [if the off-field noise impacted the players] because you don't really see that on a day-to-day [basis]. The only thing that affects you is turmoil on a Saturday if fans are protesting.

"To be fair to the Everton fans, they did their protesting before or after the game - they never let it seep into the 90 minutes because that is when it can affect you. If you're at home and the fans are protesting, walking out, being silent or booing then that can affect you but they did it before or after.

"I've only been there a couple of years and can only speak from my experience. Denise was amazing, she was so dedicated to her job.

"Bill, I know he's had his stick as well, the fans want him out but, again, the dealings I've had with him, he's a passionate man. He came in and did a talk at the end of the first season and really just poured his heart out saying how much he loved the club, how much he wanted us to survive, how much it's been in his blood for the past how many years.

“He's really passionate. Yes, he's probably made mistakes but that guy cares about Everton Football Club. The fans want him out, they want new ownership, they want new people in but that man is Everton through and through. Once it's all said and done, [I hope] he does get the credit he deserves from the fan base.”

Townsend joined Everton on a free transfer from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. He scored seven goals and registered four assists in 27 appearances before suffering a devastating ACL injury in an FA Cup loss to Palace in March 2022. As a result, he has not made a senior appearance since as he comes back from his setback.