What Everton need to do this summer
If you just look at the face of the 25-26 season, Everton finished a mere single point ahead of their tally from 24-25 when Sean Dyche was replaced by David Moyes mid-season. However, if you take into account the season as a whole, there was no lingering worry about relegation; there was comfort in the fact they would be a Premier League team this year and finally, with just seven games to go they were in with a real shot of qualifying for European football. So, what must they do to take that extra step forward again this coming season?
1. Improve Home Form
It was the Blues’ first season at their shiny new Hill Dickinson Stadium on the banks of the River Mersey, however, it failed to bring the hostility, the bite and the general nastiness that Goodison Park used to bring. That was a partial reason that Everton struggled at home throughout the entirety of the season. Just 6 home wins from 19 matches and finishing the season with a negative goal difference at home is a far cry from what Everton fans expect at home. Toward the end of the season (if you discount the Sunderland game in the final home match), it seemed to be starting to click at home. Victory against Chelsea, a draw from a winning position against Manchester City and a heartbreaking 100th minute loss to Liverpool were all performances at home that seemed to point towards the Blues re-discovering that identity in front of their own fans.
2. Convince Iliman Ndiaye to Stay
A simple point really. The Friedkin group, Moyes, whoever it may be, have to convince Iliman Ndiaye to remain at the club if progress is to be seen. He has definitely been a bright spark in a somewhat barren Everton attack in his two years with the club. The Senegalese forward will undoubtedly attract interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer, with it already rumoured that Manchester United are willing to make an offer. Now, the fee would be substantial and that is a fact, however, if Everton are to see themselves progress and return back to a team that is challenging at the right end of the table, they have to lose the monicker of a club who sells it’s star players. Even if the club were to ask for twelve months, outline the plans for the summer and what they want to achieve in the coming season and get him on board. If all goes wrong, come next summer he will still have two years remaining on his contract and the Blues will still be able to demand a hefty price for his signature.
3. Fix Positions of Need
If you’re a fellow Everton supporter, it is quite clear to see the areas of the squad which requires improvement. The club failed to sign a right-back last summer, which left central defender Jake O’Brien and midfielder James Garner playing out of position at full back all season. Now the pair have put some good performances in across the last year, however, it is not a sustainable solution for the club. Moving O’Brien back centrally gives Moyes a potentially stable partnership of he and Branthwaite moving forward. Getting Garner back into his natural central position will give the Blues a hold in the middle of the park. After all, Thomas Tuchel did note him as a “mini-Valverde”. The other obvious position that requires attention is striker. Summer signing Thierno Barry and Beto only managed to combine for 15 goals between them in the Premier League, a return that is simply not good enough if a team is wanting to push up the Premier League table. Brentford have Igor Thiago, other teams have had forwards, who once unknown have become solid goalscoring options in the Premier League; something which Everton must again search for this coming summer. Come back for follow up articles about who I believe Everton should target at each position of need this summer.
4. Give Youth a Chance
Personally, I believe that David Moyes has always been good at introducing the young players in his squads at the correct time, something which I believe has to be done in pre-season this summer prior to the season beginning. Harrison Armstrong was recalled from loan in January, but was scarcely used. Tyler Dibling was signed for big money in the summer, but was again barely used over the course of the season and finally, full-back Adam Aznou was rarely used at full-back and when he was, he looked like he could fill into that position quite comfortably. Players such as Vitali Mykolenko, Dwight McNeil and co, have been good servants to the club, but it has to be time to start integrating the fresh blood into the squad and moving those players on.
5. Back David Moyes
Finally, and this may be the least popular option on the list, the fans have to get behind David Moyes for the coming season. He has certainly split opinion between fans, especially on social media this season and the way that the team finished the season really did nothing great for his case within fan opinion. However, he did give the club the most stable season in the past five years, he does know what it takes to get, so-called, lesser clubs into the upper end of Premier League folklore and given time, I believe he will be able to stabilise, build upon and solidify Everton as, at the very least, a top half club in the Premier League.
So, moving forward the club definitely has a busy summer ahead of itself, but as always Everton fans will be optimistic, realistic and ready for the usual disappointment that the club manages to bring about year-on-year.