Ancelotti: Next season will be better for Kean

Tuesday, 30 June, 2020 37comments  |  Jump to most recent

Carlo Ancelotti is predicting better things for Moise Kean next season after the Italian striker's disappointing first year in English football.

Much was expected of Kean, a high-profile £25m acquisition from Juventus, when he arrived at Goodison Park in the 2019 summer transfer window but the 20-year-old found adapting from Serie A to the Premier League challenging.

That was, perhaps, not surprising given that he had made just 16 league appearances for Juve before making the switch to Everton. Nevertheless, he was hailed at the time as one of the most exciting young goalscoring prospects in Europe and, after an incident at Cagliari where he was subjected to racist chants, it was felt that a spell out of his home country might be for the best.

Kean arrived at a club that would struggle during the first half of the current season under Marco Silva. The Blues had drifted down into 18th place in the League by the time the Portuguese was sacked in December, with the team battling to create chances and, therefore, score goals.

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Then, when first Duncan Ferguson and then Ancelotti assumed control, a 4-4-2 system relying on the effective pairing of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin created another barrier to Kean getting regular minutes.

That made for a difficult environment for a then teenager trying to settle in a new country and it was compounded when he was fined for flouting the coronavirus lockdown rules by hosting a party at his Cheshire apartment earlier this year.

Ancelotti insists the matter has been dealt with and consigned to the past and he is committed to helping his compatriot become the player Everton believed they were buying when they picked him up from Juve for what was a significant transfer fee.

“I have spoken with him,” Ancelotti said on the Daily Mail website in relation to his transgression. “I have spoken with everyone about how important their behaviour is on the pitch and outside the pitch.

“He knows how to behave and everyone knows how they have to behave. Everyone knows what I expect from them.

“He has come to a new country. Second, you have to consider he is only young and so maybe he needs more time to adapt.

“Third is for most of the players it was difficult to get through this (lockdown) period because they were alone at home.

“We have to take all this into consideration and next season for him will be better. Moise is part of the team, part of the squad. He didn't play a lot this season, but the competition among the front players in our squad is really high. We have fantastic strikers.”

 

Reader Comments (37)

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Dave Evans
1 Posted 01/07/2020 at 06:13:40
Tries hard and is aggressive. He is still very young and could be a good third striker with Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin.

They, and we, need a couple of midfielders to help all three get more decent ball.

Jerome Shields
2 Posted 01/07/2020 at 08:19:24
On his performances so far he is a long way off making it. I agree there could be better service, but Kean does not seem to listening to basic coaching or is not being coached properly.

His last performance was poor and raised questions regarding his tactical ability. You could not say he was a finisher either. He has a big gap to bridge to be the player Ancelotti wants. Hopefully he will be able to bridge it.

Martin Berry
3 Posted 01/07/2020 at 08:24:21
Wise words from enlightened one !
Christy Ring
4 Posted 01/07/2020 at 08:35:52
His first season was always going to be hard, but Ancelotti knows best, having said that, watching him try to play the ball out of our penalty area against Norwich, show's he has still a lot to learn.
Dave Abrahams
5 Posted 01/07/2020 at 09:07:34
Well if he keeps getting ten minute slots, plus thirty SECONDS v Liverpool I wouldn’t really expect much improvement. When we played Newcastle he played from the start, scored a goal and looked a very decent player, he played for over an hour, then Mr. Ancelotti took him off, made another couple of questionable substitutions and turned a good winning performance into a draw.

I think he has the making of a good player, needs proper game time, certainly more than the very short spells he has had, a few times he could have come on for Richarlison when Charlie hasn’t been in the game.

Paul Ellam
6 Posted 01/07/2020 at 09:23:32
I trust Ancelotti and his judgement and believe Kean will improve a lot.
I think we still have a proper baller on our team and hope we don't panic sell any time soon.
I'm more worried about other areas of the team and believe we should prioritise at least one central defender, one central midfielder and two wingers.
Drew O'Neall
7 Posted 01/07/2020 at 09:31:15
Dave Abraham’s well said.

He wrestled a draw from the jaws of victory.

Kean was our most dangerous player and the manager’s decision making was highly, highly questionable, given that game had the potential to kick start his Everton career and that his substitutions effectively put a stop to our total domination of the game.

Fran Mitchell
8 Posted 01/07/2020 at 09:36:26
He needs to, hopefully he will. He showed flickers against Norwich, showing he had pace and a certain amount of skill and strength when on the ball. However he was also over eager, meaning he became selfish.

What concerned me was his movement off the ball, I remember one moment specifically. Iwobi received the ball on the right, the closest player to him was Kean, who needed to show himself, move towards Iwobi, and get the ball. He just stood still, didn't do anything, Iwobi got crowded and lost the ball.

Time will tell. He's got the raw attributes, so there is a chance.

Derek Taylor
9 Posted 01/07/2020 at 09:38:51
If he was a local lad, he would have been shipped out on loan at the winter break. But he cost a great deal of money so must be given time to save Mr Brands's face!

Good luck to the lad, let's hope he surprises us all.

Liam Reilly
10 Posted 01/07/2020 at 10:07:04
Dave, Drew - on the 2-2 draw at home to Newcastle. There was more than enough quality on that pitch after the substitutions to take control at 2-0 or 2-1 and kill the game. Also, what's rarely mentioned that only 3 days later, Everton themselves scored 2 first half injury time goals against Watford! That's just football.

Re Kean, I think there's a player in there once he gets a run of games.

John Zapa
11 Posted 01/07/2020 at 10:40:32
Unfortunately, he is nowhere near the level of other top strikers when they were his age or younger.

The fact is that we heavily overpaid for a rookie striker in the last year of his contract in a club that was not particularly desperate to hold on to him. At best we can hope that he can be a decent squad player, but I think the most likely he will be loaned out for the 21-22 season and eventually leave for a nominal fee or a free at the end of his lucrative contract.

Jason Li
12 Posted 01/07/2020 at 10:58:06
In a year and a half, to two years, he will be an outstanding player.

The Newcastle game is the best judge, as it's hard to judge potential but we can observe the top of his range at this stage in his development. Already the top of his range is really high, as shown in that match.

When Don Carlo gets in two or three top signings in, Kean gets to spend more time closer to goal and less in our half. I think he's a better finisher than Dom from distance, and just needs time to play his own game, within his own mind without worry about what people say. He has all the attributes. He likes to run and shoot, comparable to Martial or Rashford or Greenwood at Man Utd.

Some young players gain consistency earlier than others. Trust Carlo's coaching, we just need to raise the bar when he has a bad game from 5 out of 10s to 6 or 7 out of 10. He likes to run with the ball and has decent control, and like Traore at Wolves, being under a good manager for a couple of seasons does wonders for a player.

Tony Everan
13 Posted 01/07/2020 at 10:58:36
The lad needs to be playing competitive football.

Any striker needs games to find a rhythm and gain confidence. Kean has had no games and I’ve got some sympathy with his predicament. He did well when he started the home game against Newcastle, getting involved and scoring, some good link ups and adopting better positions. It’s obvious he needs a run of games to get established.

If he’s not going to get that essential development playing time with us he needs to go on loan with the guarantee of starting. He will be a hit for that club and come back stronger. His immediate future needs sorting for his and our benefit.

James Story
14 Posted 01/07/2020 at 11:17:09
"He didn't play a lot this season, but the competition among the front players in our squad is really high. We have fantastic strikers.”

I'm not sure I agree with Carlo on that one..

I know we've not seen much of him but I just don't see anything about him that leads me to think he could ever make it in a top league. People say raw talent but I just see raw speed.

Dave Abrahams
15 Posted 01/07/2020 at 11:27:40
Liam (10), I beg to differ, after the substitutions were finished, Niasse was our only outlet up front, we had conceded our attacking half of the pitch to Newcastle and added to poor defending Newcastle took full advantage of it, if the game had been five minutes longer Newcastle possibly could have won the game.

Ancelotti did the same in the home game v Brighton but got away with it, we won 1-0.

I’m not against Carlo, he has been left with a poor squad and hardly any central midfield so he definitely needs time but as I said when he first came: There are no guarantees in football.

Brian Harrison
16 Posted 01/07/2020 at 11:45:36
I think we should remember that Kean had only played 16 league games for Juventus, before joining us. So he was very inexperienced, and has only started a handful of games for us, then as a very young man probably living on his own, he has had to deal with whats happened with the virus.

So Ancelotti is right when he says he will be better next season, I just feel that every time the lad plays he is trying to do something special to show everyone how good he is.

I am sure Carlo will have a good influence on the boy, and will tell him just do the simple things, rather than trying to be spectacular every time he gets the ball. I think this was highlighted when he came on against Norwich, he picked the ball up on the edge of our box and tried to run the length of the field with the ball.

Let's hope that he will be better next season as we can't keep buying young players and then discarding them within a year of signing them, as we have with Sandro. Maybe the question needs to be asked of our DOFs as why we either paid too much for a young striker learning his trade in the case of Kean, or whether we put them on silly money and a long contract in the case of Sandro.

Chris Corn
17 Posted 01/07/2020 at 12:57:07
The draw with Newcastle was down to a lack of discipline and professionalism from players who should be able to see a game out deep in injury time. Especially when they get possession back from the first goal and immediately surrender it from the kick-off.

As for Kean, I'm yet to be convinced but he needs to be given an opportunity as we simply can't keep writing players off if it doesn't click immediately. I'll trust the manager's judgement on this one.

Jeremy Benson
18 Posted 01/07/2020 at 13:17:23
Next season will be better for Kean, because it couldn't possibly be any worse than this one.
Sam Hoare
19 Posted 01/07/2020 at 13:38:47
Surely he will get a start between now and end of the season as Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison cannot play that many games in such a short period. This will be a better chance to look at where the lad is.

When he came on against Norwich he was terrible, but I expect part of that was due to desperation to make an impact in a short time.

Not many foreign youngsters hit the ground running in their first season and am curious to see what he can produce in his second season. If it turns out to be no better then perhaps he'll be let go. The good news about buying highly rated 'wonder kids' is that they tend to retain some value. I'd expect we could sell Kean at 21 for £15-20M due to his (perhaps undeserved) reputation at youth level.

Kim Vivian
20 Posted 01/07/2020 at 13:42:17
I'm glad the weight of opinion on here is in favour of Moise. We all obviously want him to succeed but he has been the victim of his own desire to impress.

The old KISS acronym should be his mantra while he gets his confidence up. I think he has hit the post, nearly scored a lovely goal against Soton(? I think) and if those had gone in we might be watching a different player. The absence of a crowd of baying critics at Goodison ripping him up for every error will likely be a big advantage and I hope Ancelotti might take advantage of that.

We are pretty much safe now but a long way off Europe still. If Carlo thinks he might still be able to pull that off he will be sparing with Kean, but if we only manage a couple points tonight and on Monday (pretty likely imo) he might start experimenting more.

I like the lad and think he really has the potential to get us on our feet more. A dynamic midfield providing for our forwards, either acquired or moulded out of what we have, consistency at the back and we could be looking at exciting times.


Paul Tran
21 Posted 01/07/2020 at 13:45:40
Well, he'll need to be better.

No doubt he needs more time on the pitch, but I can't say I've been overly impressed with what I've seen.

Young foreign players often need a year to click into things over here. I'm hoping that's the case with Kean, but it isn't evidence-based hope.

Danny Baily
22 Posted 01/07/2020 at 14:07:56
We might as well give him an opportunity to prove himself, providing it's not at the expense of results. This will probably limit him to appearances from the bench.
Robert Tressell
23 Posted 01/07/2020 at 14:09:28
Personally, I'd be playing Kean every game now and rotating Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.
Pat Kelly
24 Posted 01/07/2020 at 14:17:53
"We have fantastic strikers" according to Carlo!

He should be working for Boris Johnson.

Tom Bowers
25 Posted 01/07/2020 at 14:31:10
Everton have nothing to lose now in the remaining games and people like Kean may have everything to gain if he gets to play and impresses; otherwise, I don't see him being kept on (along with a few others).
Mick Conalty
26 Posted 01/07/2020 at 14:47:50
Carlo, you say we have fantastic strikers?? Can you please show me them.

As, in most games, we hardly have any attempts on goal.

In view of your comments., I am expecting some dynamic forward play this evening.

Brian Harrison
27 Posted 01/07/2020 at 16:35:24
I think Carlo is correct – we do have excellent strikers. I am sure if they were put on the market you could expect at least £90 million for Richarlison and probably £30-40 million for Dominic.

Without fail, all the pundits who have covered our comeback games have all suggested that Dominic is a future England centre-forward.

Now I doubt Carlo would make such a claim about our midfield, which consists of any 4 from Walcott, Iwobi, Sigurdsson, Gomes, Davies and Bernard. And without a decent midfield, we struggle to create very much for our strikers.

Phil (Kelsall) Roberts
28 Posted 01/07/2020 at 16:59:42
Pat #24 - surely that is more from Mary Boustead than Boris Johnson.
Jeff Hough
30 Posted 01/07/2020 at 17:18:44
No Phil, Pat was right first time.
Bill Gienapp
31 Posted 01/07/2020 at 21:01:33
I like the vote of confidence. Some seem pretty eager to ship Kean out, and I'm not sure why?

I get trying to maximize his value if you don't rate him, but let's be honest – we're not going to go out and get a Timo Werner. Our best bet is to get in on the ground floor with a highly rated young talent and hope he develops.

The fact Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin have been so solid means we can afford to be *more* patient with Kean, not less. I do agree, he needs minutes though.

Steve Ferns
32 Posted 02/07/2020 at 01:00:36
Remember when he signed and we al laughed when he said his aim for the season was 6 goals? Well hands up who thought he wouldn’t achieve that!
Andrew Keatley
33 Posted 02/07/2020 at 02:24:37
Steve (32) - My hand is up.

With incredibly talented players around him (which he had at Juventus and for Italy – full side and at junior levels) he has scored goals. Mostly penalty box stuff, finishing off strong team play. His all-round game has never really caught the eye – it's been his goal-scoring. But, without that quality of player around him, he seems to struggle as he does not possess enough ability to make things happen on his own. He is something of a flat-track bully; a flashy, speedy Inzaghi – but with crash, bang, wallop rather than nous and guile.

This sort of thing happens to a lot of young players who breakthrough at top clubs. They get the wunderkind tag after a handful of games but, for every Lionel Messi, there are many that failed to pass muster (Sandro Ramirez for one). Is a young player going to have the career of Wayne Rooney or Danny Cadamarteri? I worry that Moise Kean is sadly going to end up in that second category.

There are a lot of people on here who have belief in him, although I am not sure what that belief is based on. For me, based on the minutes Kean has played for Everton, I'm thinking he been less effective than Oumar Niasse and, for all the fanfare of his arrival, that is a very poor return.

Kieran Kinsella
34 Posted 02/07/2020 at 02:33:55
Even if he's shit, as some suggest, Carlo's comments are spot on because, if we want to unload him, it helps his price when Carlo praises him.
Lester Yip
35 Posted 02/07/2020 at 12:54:28
As the current midfield relies a lot of the strikers to drop deep and help defending, I can't see Kean get much game time. He still need time to build up the fitness required.

From the Newcastle game, I can see that his long shot seems good, has pace and can hold up the ball well. Hopefully next season we can see more of him.

Sukhdev Sohal
36 Posted 02/07/2020 at 23:29:58
Q4. @James. Read what Ancelotti said and read what you've said and you'll see how much you've digressed
Tony Cawson
37 Posted 04/07/2020 at 00:17:58
Think he has got something to offer,

Just depends how much the lad wants it.

I don't think he does.

Tony Everan
38 Posted 04/07/2020 at 09:22:32
If Richarlison still isn't 100% on Monday at Spurs, our Moise Kean will be up there with Calvert-Lewin.

I think if he doesn't get picked, even if Richie is out, he will be off somewhere next season for some game time... as a loaner or on a permanent deal.


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