Column We need to talk about Kevin: a defence of the DoF When the Friedkins take the helm, hopefully later this year, the impending expiration of Kevin Thelwell's contract will be one of the matters in their in-tray. An argument that he has at least laid the foundations on which we can hope to build a better future. Matt Warnock 26 September 2024 53comments (last) Whether talking to supporters in the street, scanning the ToffeeWeb comments section, or listening to blue-tinted podcasts, there is a certain sense of unclarity regarding our director of football, Kevin Thelwell. Maybe it’s his unfashionable name – it’s been three decades now since Messrs Radcliffe and Sheedy had schoolboys dreaming of being called Kevin – or maybe it’s the fact that he looks more stand-in geography teacher than Premier League Svengali, but “the jury is still out” is the message coming across loud and clear from Blues. It’s an opinion that, I’m going to argue, somewhat undersells KT’s achievements since joining Everton in February 2022 (does calling him KT make him sound any cooler? OK, didn’t think so…). In fact, when Dan and Ryan Friedkin hopefully take the reins at our illustrious institution later this year, I’d suggest that they’ll owe our Kev a giant debt of gratitude, and they won't be the only ones. Not yet convinced? Then let me present my case. A common-sense approach As football fans, we’re in it for the passion, for the goals, for the moments that get you off your seats, that allow you to dream. However, those ups and downs need to remain on the pitch and not be allowed to spill off it. That was precisely the problem with the early Moshiri years. Big on promises, little on planning. It’s fun, but it’s treacherous and had the exciting proclamations and Hollywood signings of those years continued any longer, it’s entirely possible that Everton could have gone the way of Leeds, or worse. Article continues below video content To remedy this, we needed someone who could embrace the unglamorous elements of running a football club. We needed a steady hand, a common sense approach. We needed a stand-in geography teacher. Someone willing to patiently feed the chickens even as they were coming home to roost. So, let's cut to the chase. The headline statistic is this: no team in the Premier League has spent less than Everton over the past 5 years. Since Thelwell’s spell as DoF began, we’ve turned a profit through player trading. And let’s be crystal clear here – for Everton, that profit was what helped keep the lights on. Without it, the club faced a genuinely existential threat. Here’s a quiz question for you. What do Tom Davies, Luke Garbutt, Jonjoe Kenny and Beni Baningime have in common? All came through the academy. All were thought to be promising talents. All gained senior team experience. And all left for nothing. For the sake of transparency, a couple of these players left in Thelwell’s first months as DoF but there's not much he could have been expected to do with players in the last weeks of their contract. However, contrast those departures with the likes of Lewis Dobbin, Tom Cannon, Ellis Simms and Ishé Samuels-Smith who, with just five starts between the lot of them, managed to fetch almost £30 million in transfer fees. There is of course a separate conversation to be had about young talent and pathways but, if young players are going to leave, I for one would rather they leave for a fee. Like it or not, our neighbours across the park have this down to a fine art and fund some of their bigger purchases through the regular €10 million sales of young players who are good but just not good enough. The funds brought in for the players I mentioned above (none of whom would walk into the current team, by the way) is greater than the amount Everton were charged with exceeding PSR limits by. Every penny counts when you’re in the position we’re in. Head over heart For too long, Everton has been run by the heart over the head. Of course we were; we were Bill's Everton. Nobody ever questioned Bill Kenwright’s absolute love for the club, but it's fair to speculate that that passion could have coloured some of his decisions in a business where there is no longer room for sentiment. That’s why academy graduates were given too long rather than moved on while they could still command a fee. That's why a 32-year-old Wayne Rooney was given £160 grand a week and Don Carlo was given the club AmEx card and told to go wild. Let’s be honest, under previous regimes, we’d have offered Dominic Calvert-Lewin whatever he asked for to sign a new contract this summer and we’d have thrown a ludicrous amount of money at a new contract for Dele Alli while we were at it. But Thelwell doesn't make those mistakes. He knows what both of those players are worth and refuses to shift from that valuation. Would Dom signing a new contract be ideal? Of course. On Champions League wages with a questionable injury record? Hard decisions need to be made to steady this ship. Losing Amadou Onana this summer was one of those hard decisions but, of all the unpalatable options available to the club this summer, it was the least bad thing to do. A player who wasn’t necessarily a guaranteed starter sold for a significant profit. The common-sense decision. Whenever big teams like Manchester United have come sniffing around some of our most promising players in the past, previous DoFs and owners have turned into 1950s teenage girls, flicking their hair and kicking up a heel, all giddy and blushing with the idea that one of the big boys might notice little Everton. This summer, Thelwell stood his ground professionally over Jarrad Branthwaite. He didn’t make unrealistic proclamations about Everton shooting for the Champions League, but neither did he roll out the red carpet. He let his head rule his heart – yes, you can have him but we (and the market) value him highly and we won’t shift from that valuation. Cons as well as pros Now, I haven’t said that Kevin Thelwell is perfect. There are a couple of striker-shaped elephants in the room for sure. Neal Maupay was an unmitigated disaster, as was the loan of Arnaut Danjuma, and we can only use the word “raw” for Beto for so long. But forwards are notoriously the hardest players to recruit for. In the past few years, Gianluca Scamacca, Darwin Núñez, Cristian Benteke, Antony, Nicolas Pepe and Romelu Lukaku have cost Premier League clubs almost €500 million, while pitching in just over 30 league goals between them. None of them are bad players, but it goes to show how hard it is to get attacking signings right even when resources are endless; Kevin Thelwell went to the market with 2 packs of Quavers and an IOU written on the back of a fag packet. “Raw” was the result. While it’s early days for both, Iliman Ndiaye and Youssef Chermiti have both shown enough to suggest that they can be very decent members of the squad, or better, going forward. And while it may be too early to really see the fruits of Thelwell's labour in terms of the way he has restructured the academy and scouting networks at the club, I’d argue that recent signings like Ndiaye, Jake O'Brien and Onana, as well as ultimately unsuccessful moves for Mohammed Kudus, Adam Wharton and Jaden Philogene represent an enormous improvement in identifying talent and implementing a strategy to go after young up-and-coming talent. The lack of full-back cover may also be a criticism aimed at Thelwell, although it’s a well-worn truism in football that building a team is like sleeping under a small blanket; you can cover your head or your feet but not both at once. At Everton, that blanket has been more like a dishcloth lately. I’d also argue that Sean Dyche carries some of the blame for this issue, particularly due to his reluctance to blood and trust young players in these positions. If these are the negatives, there are some other positives we should also consider. Over the past three years, Everton have cut total player salaries from a shade under €2.5 million per week (a little higher than Spurs this season, for example) to just over €1.5 million per week this season, which is around the same as Palace and Fulham and the 11th highest in the Premier League. I also think Thelwell should be applauded for being more transparent in terms of communication than previous incumbents of his position. The DoF shouldn’t communicate every week; their role is medium to long-term and I’d worry if he had a lot to say too often, but he has communicated clearly and openly with fans on multiple occasions through multiple channels and outlets. The biggest mitigating factor through all of this is that he’s done it at the head of a rudderless ship with little to no support or backing from those above him. Everton have been operating to all intents and purposes without a board for the past 18 months. Many of us would argue that we were being run without an effective board for many years before that. Whether you’re a fan of Kevin Thelwell, Sean Dyche and Interim CEO Colin Chong or not; whether the new owners keep some or all of them in situ, or choose to ring the changes and bring in new people, I’d argue that all Evertonians owe each of them a debt of gratitude. For the past few years, the three of them, with Thelwell at the forefront, have somehow kept level heads and steadied a sinking ship in spite of the icebergs all around. Is this enough for me to rename my first-born Kevin? Maybe not. But our stand-in geography teacher has at least laid the foundations on which we can hope to build a better future. Reader Comments (53) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer () Dennis Stevens 1 Posted 26/09/2024 at 00:41:13 Hear! Hear! Well put, Matt. Andy McNabb 2 Posted 26/09/2024 at 01:18:28 Excellent article, Matt. Realism in recognising what Thelwell has achieved in an unstable and often toxic environment. He has done so quietly and in an understated manner that is a credit to him.Even the ToffeeWeb podcast this week is assuming that, in the light of Freidkin's purchase, we will brush aside individuals such as Thelwell and Dyche in our quest for something better – "We're talking about him (Dyche) as if he's already gone!"Your section about 'Head over Heart' could ironically also apply to Thelwell's departure; but if he does go at the end of the season, I hope every Evertonian will recognise his contribution to us entertaining Palace this Saturday, when it could have been Hull City. Mike Dolan 3 Posted 26/09/2024 at 01:42:48 A very nice piece, Matt.I think, under the circumstances, Thelwell has done a very good job.The role that each individual plays in the management of our club is very vague so it is hard to know exactly who is responsible for most of the decisions made. I think that the players signed this past window have been a massive plus. While some of the contracts retained (Seamus Coleman, Ashley Young, and Michael Keane) represen a huge chunk of change that would have been better spent elsewhere.On balance, I think Kevin Thelwell has done an above-average job but would hope that defining that roll would be a priority for the new ownership. Dupont Koo 4 Posted 26/09/2024 at 03:40:09 Matt,As the convenor and sole chartered member so far of the Thelwell Brigade, I congratulate you on an eloquently written article and thank you for a stern defence of Thelwell. I agreed with the "cons" of Thelwell's work so far. No DoF is perfect (although Monchi had almost as close to a flawless record at Sevilla in terms of player trading and management and is replicating that effort and his partnership with Unai Emery at Aston Villa), but considered Thelwell stepped into a Chernobyl or Fukushima (thanks to Moshiri, Liar Bill & Rafa the Shite) and steered us through tsunami after tsunami in the past 2.5 years, Evertonians should be grateful for his work. (Quick tangent: I still hold the opinion that the Danjuma disaster was more on Dyche's mismanagement than Thelwell's identification of a sub-par talent.)Otherwise, if we have to be picky on Thelwell's work, it is his lack of introduction to Evertonians on how the responsibilities for the club's youngsters are divided amongst his trusted trios in Gareth Prosser, Carl Darlington & James Vaughan. Perhaps the Club's Communications Team should have made some profiles & interviews with them, instead of being driven by Thelwell? I know enough Evertonians who are equally (if not more) keen on knowing more about how the Academy is going to produce good enough youngsters for both elevation into the first team and for sales purposes (as you said, another item that we need to catch up to our neighbours' prowess; I am very confident that Thelwell has been steering us towards that direction, albeit in an enforced turtle-like pace). Paul Ferry 5 Posted 26/09/2024 at 03:53:18 Dupont Koo 4: "As the convenor and sole chartered member so far of the Thelwell Brigade".Erm, no, you are not, Dupont – and what an absolutely ridiculous and silly thing to say. Kieran Kinsella 6 Posted 26/09/2024 at 04:22:01 Matt,The full-back situation is a massive black mark against Thelwell. In the modern game full backs are critical. Look at the impact Walker has at City. Look at Chelsea when Reece James is fit versus unfit. Imagine if we'd sold Pickford and Virginia and our goalie options were Begovic and Pickford junior. That's the equivalent of what we have at full-back. Obviously there are mitigating circumstances but he's left a huge void in 20 percent of our team. Jay Harris 7 Posted 26/09/2024 at 05:04:16 Matt,On the surface and using your pros, Thelwell has done well but for me has turned us into Wolves of a few years ago with inadequate goalscoring and a very weak squad.I realize he had to do some cost-cutting but we are down to the barebones with criminally no cover at either fullback position and very poor goalkeeper cover.So that's 3 key positions: goalkeeper, central midfielder and striker where we are exposed – especially if Calvert-Lewin decides not to stay. I would say his tenure has been average and we could do better.I know it's fantasy but imagine what Monchi or Edu could do with Everton. Alan J Thompson 8 Posted 26/09/2024 at 06:10:18 I just wonder if Thelwell has access to all the accounts or if he has had a budget imposed on him and must seek approval before agreeing incoming transfers which I suppose would be from the (acting?) CEO, Mr Chong.I would also question if the reduction in the wage bill and junior players' transfer fees are as much serendipity as calculated and the true test maybe at this season's end as several well-paid players' contracts end, Doucoure, Keane, Calvert-Lewin at least.For example, were the Dobbin, Iroegbunam transfers his or Villa's idea? Or, if they fell under his time with us, the sales of Digne, Richarlison and Onana? Or if they were necessary sales to reduce PSR liabilities?It is less my questioning his ability as knowing if the few left in administration are finally moving towards the light and in the quickest and most obvious way and a way where contracts may restrict the usual business acumen of stemming outgoing costs first. I still wonder at building a new state-of-the-art stadium of 52,888 capacity when you have about 30,000 season ticket holders and a waiting list for the same of about 27,000 plus visiting teams allocations? Or were there size restrictions due to the site size or just the cost? Steve Brown 9 Posted 26/09/2024 at 06:26:04 This transfer window has been better prepared and constructed by Thelwell – Ndiaye, Mangala and Iroegbunam will add value, and hopefully O'Brien and Lindstrøm will get their chance. There does seem to be a development pathway to the first team for Dixon and Harrison to give them game-time. Not that Sean Dyche is guaranteed to pick any of them.Having such a limited budget forces prioritisation and choices on the DoF and manager. But starting the season with Patterson injured (and inconsistent when fit) and Mykolenko injured (and average in all aspects of his role) meant we had to prioritise full-back coverage. Relying on 39-year-old Young and 33-year-old Coleman as cover was, as Kieran says, a massive black mark.However, Thelwell's biggest mistake was signing Beto for such a huge transfer fee (£25.75M!). I am baffled at what the recruitment team saw when they scouted him, as anyone who watched him over 2-3 games would have seen his technical limitations. Ajay Gopal 10 Posted 26/09/2024 at 06:26:34 Matt, congratulations on a well researched and written article. The facts presented by you make a compelling case for Evertonians to be grateful for what Thelwell and Dyche have been able to achieve under unprecedented circumstances. I don't want us (the club, fans, management) to go all gung-ho and go back to the bad days of Steve Walsh and Koeman. I believe that that duo (with Moshiri's blessings, of course) was singularly responsible for taking us on a death spiral, which hopefully we have seen the end of.The club has a huge playing staff crisis coming up, with the following players out of contract at the end of the season:Calvert-LewinDoucoureGanaKeaneColemanYoungHarrison (Loan)Broja (Loan)Mangala (Loan)Lindstrøm (Loan)VirginiaThat is 11 out of 25 squad players presently (I may have missed out some more). For the sake of continuity, TFG should allow Thelwell to continue to try and get some players re-signed, identify replacements as necessary and also strengthen the squad. I would not trust someone new in the DoF position coming in and doing a good job considering the severe financial limitations that the club is constrained by. Derek Thomas 11 Posted 26/09/2024 at 08:20:40 Until the DoF and Manager are in lockstep about just what sort of players they want and how they're going to play them, this whole DoF gig seems a duplication of effort.I get the impression that...for instance...Thelwell says '4 Candles' and Dyche is expecting 'andles for forks Jimmy Carr 12 Posted 26/09/2024 at 08:23:40 I think Thelwell has done good work, not that the bar was high mind you, as it would seem Kenwright and Moshiri bought over-priced and ill-fitting players into the club regardless of what the manager or Marcel Brands wanted. He's brought a sheen of functionality to one of the most dysfunctional areas of the club. However I'm not sure his work tallies well with the footballing philosophy of Sean Dyche. If he's still around after Dyche moves on (which seems a step closer now the take-over is almost complete) then a manager more aligned to his values might bring about a more fruitful partnership for the club. Tony Abrahams 13 Posted 26/09/2024 at 08:24:56 This article has proved that Kevin Thelwell, has done a very good job, with his back very much, against the wall.Everything is easy, when its easy, but when its not, most people sink and then shake their head hoping that everyone can acknowledge that they had been given a thankless job, (albeit a very well paid thankless task) in the first place, so in that respect, Thelwell deserves our upmost respect and our gratitude, imo.How good is he? I had a man who was involved at Everton, for a very long time tell me recently, that he was a nice man, but he his out of his depth, but thats football, full of opinions and there is always somebody ready to put a knife in your back, for whatever reason. Stu Gre 14 Posted 26/09/2024 at 08:38:25 Really nice article Matt. For me the jury will have to remain out until the club are stable under Friedkin.In many ways KT has been fortunate - he knows the boundaries he is working in and he hasn't had the unnecessary input from other influences like Bill and Moshiri (what ultimately did for Brands I suspect).Can he take investment from TFGI and spend it wisely? If Beto is anything to go by I'd have my doubts. Si Pulford 15 Posted 26/09/2024 at 08:42:48 I think its over the top to suggest we owe him anything. Hes done a good but not great job. The wage bill decrease was as much to do with contracts expiring as canny sales. This season looks like hes bought in some good additions but we still start the season with 39 and 34 year old full backs and no natural finisher. Beto and Maupay for a combined nearly 40 million is pretty inexcusable. And the idea that he was somehow forced to buy them isnt right either. Regardless of how the deal was structured the signing of Beto at that price is lunacy. Im not having pop and I do think hes done a good job but theres a reason weve shipped so many goals this season and its one that most fans could see for about the last five seasons. We need a right back! Ray Roche 16 Posted 26/09/2024 at 08:42:52 Very good article Matt, showing the positives as well as the negatives. I think KT has done a remarkable job, although not perfect, the full back position screams at us for instance, but we as fans, dont know what went on behind the scenes. The world and his dog knew we were short in that position so maybe we were being held to ransom? Maupay was also a disaster but Thelwell didnt pick a 5ft forward to play as a striker did he?Maybe if he was played in his best position he might have scored more than one goal….And Beto arrived because we didnt have to pay anything for 12months and were desperate for a forward. I remember people on TW shouting to get the job done when his transfer looked like stalling so there were plenty of experts on here who rated him!Jay, you say “ imagine what Monchi or Edu could do with EFC”. Tell me, how could they have improved on what KT has done with the ‘sell to survive brief he was given? And which of the two would have taken the job? Im not being argumentative, I would like to hear your reasoning. Danny O'Neill 17 Posted 26/09/2024 at 08:48:55 Very good read that Matt.I personally think Thelwell has done a good job with what is going on around him. At times, he seems to be running the club and the only one communicating.I said it with Brands, if you're going to adopt the DoF model, let them do their job. Brands got sucked into the board.He is doing his job, but can't fix every position in our current circumstances, providing the Manager with attacking and midfield options.Let's see what he can do with backing once the takeover is sorted. I don't want to go back to the reckless spending of the Moshiri years and I think Thelwell could be more astute in using money wisely. Rob Dolby 18 Posted 26/09/2024 at 09:23:22 Matt a good read and case well presented though in KT and Dyches position they really can't win.Both have worked wonders in their own way but that obviously isn't good enough for us. I am grateful for what both have achieved under the circumstances.Both are culpable for not bringing in full back cover. Even championship journeymen on free transfers would have done a job.Ajay's post above is pretty worrying.From the out of contract players who should we extend or at least try to?Calvert-LewinDoucoureGanaKeaneColemanYoungHarrison (Loan)Broja (Loan)Mangala (Loan)Lindstrøm (Loan)VirginiaWe aren't out of this mess anytime soon. Brian Harrison 19 Posted 26/09/2024 at 09:27:15 I think Thelwell has had a few that clearly haven't worked and a couple that look promising, but Beto, Ali, Maupay and Danjuma can hardly be described as successful. I think its always impossible to know if its the managers choice or the DOFs to sign certain players. Obviously in light of what I have just said I would imagine Young and Harrison are both Dyche signings. I think Friedkin will change the manager as that's what his track record tells us he will do, and depending on the manager will determine if Thelwell is kept on as DOF. Brian Harrison 20 Posted 26/09/2024 at 09:57:35 Matt, just read your article again and in it you say Don Carlo was given the Amex card and told to go wild, yet he only signed 2 players Allan from Napoli for £25m and James on a free. Yes James was paid exceptionally well, but my biggest regret was not being able to see him live at Goodison. He was the real Picasso were of late we have just had to watch a lot of forgeries. While Ancelotti was manager we signed Godfrey, Doucoure, King, Nkounku and Jarrad Branthwaite, I think these were all signed by our then DOF Marcel Brands. Danny O'Neill 21 Posted 26/09/2024 at 10:18:10 Good point Brian.I don't think Carlo was the culprit. Like you, I wish I could have seen James Rodriguez play at Goodison. The reckless spending happened before Ancelotti. The pre-season when the board, manager and Walsh seemed to go to their own sweet shop with no strategy and came back with several number 10s.There has been improvement in the squad and the results will come. Dave Abrahams 22 Posted 26/09/2024 at 10:24:02 Matt never said Thelwell was perfect but that he had done well for Everton, I go along with that and add my thanks to Dyche in both cases due to the scandalous conditions they are working under.Regarding the eleven players out of contracts at the end of the season I think Keane, Colman and Young will be seen as wages off the weekly bill, Doucoure and Gana are coming to the end of their use at Everton, four are on loan and can be replaced by other loan deals or kept on if seen to good enough, that leaves Dominic and Virginia, Dominic staying or going is entirely up to him, Id like him to stay as well as Virginia who I think can become a good goalkeeper. Dave Abrahams 23 Posted 26/09/2024 at 10:36:26 Brian (20), I dont know who signed King but I know Ancelotti hardly played him for Everton and he scored a hat trick for Watford against us the next season after Carlo done one with his son to Madrid. Clive Rogers 24 Posted 26/09/2024 at 10:41:21 The description of Beto as raw implies that with experience he may come good. Dont forget that he is 26 and had two seasons in Serie A before coming to Everton. It is a signing that has just not worked out and Beto will probably be moved on next summer for a small fee. Also bringing Young and Harrison back for another season was unbelievably poor. Brian Harrison 25 Posted 26/09/2024 at 10:41:52 Danny, I would have liked to have seen what Ancelotti would have achieved if he had been given the financial backing that Koeman got. I also liked th efact he lived in Crosby and not leafy Cheshire like most of the others, he also said how much he loved his bike rides around the area and his walks along Crosby beach. I cant remember the last manager who lived in an L postcode, also when did you hear any of our managers talk about the city in such glowing terms. That added to the fact he was the most decorated manager this club has ever appointed and yet some fans try and denigrate him and his achievements.As you can tell I was a massive fan, yes many didnt like the low block he played at times, but in many games his back 4 consisted of Keane, Godfrey and Holgate. I also remember he wanted us to buy Gabriel who is now doing a sterling job at Arsenal. Brian Harrison 26 Posted 26/09/2024 at 10:47:46 Dave, I think you answer your own question why didnt he play King, probably thought DCL and Richarlison were better options, and maybe if Ancelotti had still been here King wouldnt have scored a hatrick for Watford. King was a Championship player at best as his career proved that was his level. Sam Hoare 27 Posted 26/09/2024 at 10:54:05 Steve@9 the reason Betos fee (and some others) was so large is because of the way that Everton have to pay.Thelwells hands have been most severely tied by only being able to offer ‘get now pay later deals. Beto (if the back of his goal scoring in Italy) was probably a £18m player that we had to overpay for because we were offering a whopping zero pounds up front. As ineffectual as Beto has been well still probably get £15m when we sell him and he had the assets (speed, size, strength and work rate) that make him a logical alternative to DCL. Hes just never had a good run of games that most players need to build confidence and touch.I think Thelwell has done a pretty decent job and am especially impressed by the players we identified but couldnt get over the line due to resources. Id like to see what him and his team could do with less restrictions. Dave Cashen 28 Posted 26/09/2024 at 11:17:25 Thats a cracking piece, Matt."At Everton, that blanket has been more like a dishcloth lately" - Yep. I am glad that you listed a handful of forwards which cost a combined amount of around 500m to emphasise your point about the difficulties every club has in identifying guaranteed goals. I know if you wanted to, You could have emphasised that point even more by naming many, many,more. The point you raised about former academy players now leaving for a small fee as opposed to being allowed to leave for nothing may seem relatively unimportant, but, as the old saying goes "Many a Mickle makes a Muckle". You have to ask; Why it was even an issue he had to address ? Thirty million is most definitely not to be sneezed at. A perfect illustration of how KT is quietly but very efficiently going about his business. Barry Rathbone 29 Posted 26/09/2024 at 11:32:41 Not sure what people expect.The likes of utd and particularly Chelsea are spending top dollar on players and failing how we expect anything with a game plan of mostly loanees in the most unstable club in the division is mad.Transfers are a massive gamble if one in two work out you're ahead of the game and we're not even the game proper!!How can a fair assessment be made of any Everton personnel with things as they are?Not that fairness comes into it when results are going south we just channel our inner Inca and demand human sacrifices. My advice to the Friedbread group would be give Thelly and Dyche a fair go John Raftery 30 Posted 26/09/2024 at 12:28:24 An excellent article, thanks, Matt. Kevin Thelwell has placed the club in a much better position than it was in when he arrived in February 2022. He and Sean Dyche have worked well together not only in managing sales but also in building a better balanced squad.In regard to the right-back position, the club was linked with several possible signings in the summer. Unfortunately we were unable to make a deal happen presumably because we could not meet the selling club's valuation and/or match the player's salary expectations. A key requirement of a Director of Football's role is not to chase signings for the sake of it but to focus on recruiting players who will be better than the ones we already have. In that regard, I think Kevin Thelwell has been successful. Raymond Fox 31 Posted 26/09/2024 at 12:32:21 It's hard to judge anything when you don't have the full story.You can bet your bottom dollar or pound that Thelwell and Dyche tried to sign full-backs and, for one reason or another, all attempts did not happen.It's the same with signings made, they probably would have preferred to sign other players than they have, only to fail to attract them to the club. Dave Abrahams 32 Posted 26/09/2024 at 12:34:45 Brian (26), he never even played King as a sub to change the game.You can go on all day about Ancelotti's career elsewhere, he never did anything at Everton with or without money and yet Dyche is getting slaughtered by some, not you, and having literally next to nothing to spend, no boardroom to speak of and he kept Everton up for the last two seasons with the help of Thelwell and the fans.Carlo was very well paid and came back for more while we carried his son through his apprenticeship learning the game and also no doubt well paid for it. Carlo is well versed in the game and the arts of looking after himself. Steve Brown 33 Posted 26/09/2024 at 12:39:19 Sam @ 27, good point on over-paying due to the need to structure the deal based on instalments.But I am not sure we would get £15 million for Beto presently. His physical assets should match Calvert-Lewin, but I am not sure he deploys them to any real effect. His basic technical abilities as a player are where he exasperates me most – the football is not his friend. Sam Hoare 34 Posted 26/09/2024 at 13:04:24 Steve, yes his technique has looked poor at times though I wonder how much that has to do with momentum. His technique looked better in Italy where he was getting 2000+ minutes per season.Either way, though it is a transfer that's not worked out, I can absolutely see the thinking and logic behind it; which was not always the case with Thelwell's predecessors. Steve Brown 35 Posted 26/09/2024 at 13:12:33 Dave A, Ancelotti didn't rate Josh King. His judgement is good enough for me.King raised his game to score 3 goals for Watford against us because he had a beef. He has scored 11 goals in total since he left us, so let's put that hat-trick in perspective.It amazes me that we have watched Everton circle round the plug hole since Ancelotti left in 2021, but he apparently did nothing when he was with us. He had a win rate of 46.27% and got us into a position where we could qualify for Europe in his final game. He left because he was told a pack of lies when he was hired and found a dysfunctional mess when he joined – like every other manager since.We have since been treated to league finishes of 16th, 17th, 15th and we are 19th currently. The average win ratio of the managers who succeeded Ancelotti is 30.86%. But we were fortunate when the Italian Dinosaur left to head to Real Madrid to win La Liga, the Copa Del Rey, 2 Champions Leagues and the FIFA Club World Cup. Martin Farrington 36 Posted 26/09/2024 at 13:24:26 Matt, I know you have spent time and effort writing your article. I can't agree with it. Here's why.Before I argue your points, let me state my generic understanding of Everton Football Club's strategy regarding player acquisitions and sales.For the majority of his presence, Kenwright was solely responsible for them. Spectacularly appallingly. This lasted until the introduction of Moshiri, when a DoF was introduced, yet Kenwright's interference was still heavily influential and detrimental to the interest of the club. The role of Director of Football at Everton has no Job Description Questionnaire, or defined responsibility and is open and used at the whim of the owner or board (from an article by The Esk).The previous two DoFs have been nothing other than failures, woeful and leading to an astounding waste of hundreds of millions of pounds. The erosion of the club's standards on the field and within its academy is clear for all to see.Kevin Thelwell.Some of my points have been raised by others.Players sold and the debate about funds brought in and net spend.Due to PSR, Everton had to cut costs. Players reaching the natural end of the contracts (agreed pre-Thelwell) arguably the easiest way to save money. Telling a player we could not afford to re-sign them due to the aforementioned. Academy players. Well again, none being Thelwell related. Those you name who were released were simply not good enough. Nor are those whom we sold and got money for. Of which most professional clubs of a high standard utilise. academies for. Assisting by developing then part funding purchases of 1st teamers. Everton's academy has not been remarkable. For the amount of youngsters it has, it is extremely disappointing. Last season being one of the worst for some time across all ages. The lack of potential is alarming.Thelwell is the head of the academy.Everton are renowned for holding on to young players who are not at the standard required. (The Esk article).We have no youngsters vying for a starting place in a team that is a relegation regular. That sums up how poor we are down to grass roots.Re Branthwaite. Man Utd set their own bar with Maguire. Branthwaite is way better. Their derisory offers were an attack on our stellar star. Using their reputation to bully and cajole. Dyche, Chong and Moshiri would never sanction that joke of an approach. Thelwell was not responsible for retaining him. Lack of decent scouts and scouting ability is and has always been an Everton weakness. In his acquisitions, one would have to say under Thelwell, arguably, they are worse or he is. 1) The manager openly states that they are not fit for or of Premier League standard.2) Players acquired do not fit Dyche's style of management.3) Have led us to the bottom of the Premier League for the second season running. We have no outstanding players under Thelwell. Ndiaye has potential.He has failed to address the clear weaknesses in the side, since his arrival. Both full-back positions. Wingers. Pace everywhere. Ball player. Goalscorers. Beto and Maupay are his claim to fame as strikers to take the load off misfiring Calvert-Llewin. Finances. All clubs are cutting back under PSR. He has done nothing radical nor extraordinary than what everybody else is doing.I will end my response here.Thelwell has not done a good job. He has done his basic job, poorly. The academy is weak. And relegation is on again. Dave Abrahams 37 Posted 26/09/2024 at 14:13:49 Steve (35), Didn't his judgement stop Everton signing King or did he come to the club knowing he would't have full control over signing players?Good, bad or indifferent, he came to the club for the excellent wages on offer and it looks like he had the lovely option of moving out if certain clubs were interested in him. Carlo was no mug and, like other managers who came for the money, knew who he was dealing with, an owner who put his faith in a man who he thought knew about football. He knows different now and is all the poorer for it… unless Usmanov is copping for that huge sum. Tony Abrahams 38 Posted 26/09/2024 at 14:27:53 King scored a hat-trick when the Everton defence capitulated, and it's been capitulating in a similar way recently because certain players have still to be replaced.Lowest net spend in the last 5 years, a wage bill that has thankfully started to be reduced, and that's before you consider PSR, which lead to two points deductions.Everton are still a Premier League club because of the fans, the manager and the DOF, imo, and I agree that Thelwell has made mistakes with Maupay and Beto.It takes me back to the night I asked Walter Smith why he had just taken Kevin Campbell, who I rated, and Scott Gemill, who I never rated, on loan, and his very blunt answer was “Son – I had to fucking do something!” Brian Harrison 39 Posted 26/09/2024 at 14:39:40 Steve @35.I don't understand how some Evertonians have a blind spot regarding Ancelotti, despite all he has won and having got a rag tail of a squad to the top of the league on Boxing Day, they still tell us what a good job Dyche is doing. To answer Dave about coming for money, can you name a manager who didn't come for money? I think it irks some that he went back to Real Madrid, but I can't think of any manager or player who turned down the chance to play for the greatest club side in the World.Seeing he would have no budget to spend, and we know that because his successor was given £1.5M, why wouldnt he go back to Real Madrid? Moshiri had let people like Koeman and Silva spend all his money. And when he finally got a worldclass manager, there was no money left. I also think the robbery at his house with his daughter inside may have influenced his decision to go back to Real Madrid, and who in the same circumstances wouldn't have done the same. Dave Cashen 40 Posted 26/09/2024 at 15:11:08 It takes years to develop players to first-team standard. A couple of years ago Thelwell took over an academy which had been criticised for many years for not producing players who could go into the first team and stay there. I feel there is a degree of naivety in believing that in such a short space of time, Thelwell should have turned it around and we would now be persuading the better kids (with much better options) to join us. Besides, even if we had any academy players coming through now, they would have been here before Thelwell and he wouldn't get the credit anyway. Tony Abrahams 41 Posted 26/09/2024 at 15:18:44 Do you seriously think Silva would have chosen to start the season with Michael Keane instead of replacing the pace of Kurt Zouma by choosing to sign Moise Kean instead, Brian?Koeman was a terrible manager, and partly because I don't think he was that interested in managing Everton, but more likely he got an offer he couldn't refuse, with an example being when he said on the eve of the season, that he wasn't sure if Klaassen had the physical attributes for the Premier League. Dave Abrahams 42 Posted 26/09/2024 at 15:56:54 Brian (39), Of course most managers come for the money, unless they are young and ambitious and fancy making a name for themselves but and it's a big but, can you name me a manager of any ability who had it in his contract that he could leave the club if another came calling for him without any compensation being paid to that club.As for praising a manager for getting a club to the top of the league on Boxing Day but then finishing well below with the same players at the end of that same season, you get nothing for being top of the league on Boxing Day.Also, he allowed one of his players on very high wages to dictate to him when he was fit to play and also let him fly home before the season was over, with him, presumingly getting paid as well.Mind you, he wasn't paying the wages, seems he was a manager and had the power of a certain Godfather! Danny O'Neill 43 Posted 26/09/2024 at 15:59:52 It absolutely does, Dave. You will get the odd freak like Rooney, but they are few and far between.Tony, if I remember, Koeman took some convincing to come to Everton, although I'm sure there was an "incentive" thrown his way.A shame, because as a youngster, I liked him as a player watching the Netherlands. Bullet-like shot on him and took no prisoners. Dale Self 44 Posted 26/09/2024 at 16:35:33 Excuse me for a second Matt. Derek 11, do you have a source for that speculation? I would be more inclined to believe it if presented. Matt, well done. What Thelwell has achieved is a quick turnaround of our transfer reputation. Everton was no doubt seen as a desperate sucker and fully played for one. While every piece of business has not worked out, overall we have reloaded some talent that both makes sense for the immediate job at hand and, more importantly, positioned us for some future necessary deals to raise funds. This is a difficult task given the talented and well funded competition Thelwell faces. I do hope to see more contributions from you. This one is deservedly well received. Robert Tressell 45 Posted 26/09/2024 at 17:55:20 Thelwell has done a very good job, not perfect – but no-one is. The critics seem to expect him to return home from Aldi with a hamper from Fortnum & Mason.I'd also like to dispel a pretty persistent myth about Beto.He is NOT a big money signing. He cost €25M which, by today's exchange rate, is £21M.And, as Sam says, this was inflated by the fact we paid nothing in year one.And whilst £21M is expensive for us, this is peanuts for the Premier League. Here's a list of strikers who Beto is cheaper than (in descending order of expensiveness...) - Wesley Moraes (Villa 2019) - Danny Ings (Saints 2019) - Rhian Brewster(Sheff Utd 2020) - Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester 2017) - Danny Ings (Villa 2021) - Eddie Nketiah (Palace 2024) - Rodrigo (Leeds 2020) - Chris Wood (Newcastle 2021) - Patson Daka (Leicester 2021) - Benteke (Palace 2016) - Igo Thiago (Brentford 2024)We're getting into the €35M (+) category from here...- Evanilson (Bournemouth 2024)- Raul Jiminez (Wolves 2019)- Gianluca Scammaca (West Ham 2022)- Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea 2016)- Fabio Silva (Wolves 2020)- Rutter (Leeds 2022)- Rutter (Brighton 2024)We're now hitting the €50M mark... - Haller (West Ham 2019)- Cunha (Wolves 2023) - Solanke (Spurs 2024)The reason we bought Beto is that we had to buy an experienced striker because no-one knew whether Calvert-Lewin was able to play more than 5 games last season. As you can see from the above, the market for experienced strikers is vastly overpriced. It is much better to buy a young striker for lower cost and develop them over time. We didn't have that luxury.So we bought him, not because he was expected to be good, but because we could afford him for £0 initial outlay. As it happens, he is not terrible, but he's just not very good either. Ray Roche 46 Posted 26/09/2024 at 20:02:59 Robert, excellent post, brings some perspective to the Beto transfer 👍🏻 Anthony Jones 47 Posted 26/09/2024 at 20:45:33 Thelwell definitely got more right than wrong.Hope Fried Kin keep him. John Raftery 48 Posted 26/09/2024 at 21:26:52 Robert (45) You have put the Beto issue to bed once and for all. Thank you! Tom Bowers 49 Posted 26/09/2024 at 21:40:15 For one reason or another our ''strike force'' has been absent since the days of Tim Cahill and Lukaku.DCL had a somewhat good run a few seasons back but injuries have affected his progress since then and I am not sure he will ever be as effective again.Much can be said the same as Doucoure and Beto although they cannot blame injuries..However, if you have a tight midfield and a competent back three or four you can still be a tough team to beat. This scenario is one that Everton have not yet achieved.Branthwaite may help tighten the defence especially on set pieces.Most teams still find it far too easy to find space against Everton as we do not have a speedy or tight marking midfield unit. Mike Gaynes 50 Posted 26/09/2024 at 21:46:59 Splendid article, Matt, and I agree with every word except for the criticism of Dyche regarding the fullbacks. I happen to agree with his priority of experience over youthful pace on those crucial corners, even if Young drives me crazy and Seamus seems, sadly, at the end of his wondrous legs. Robert #45, excellent analysis of the Beto buy. I happen to believe he'd have been a decent starter for us if Dom had been sold or permanently crocked. He's something of a misfit now because he needs the ball played to him on the ground rather than in the air. Dupont #4, "convenor and sole chartered member" my left nut. There are a number of older signatures on your charter, mine among them as one who researched Thelwell's work in MLS when his name was first floated for our DoF job. And I've been an increasingly enthusiastic endorser since shortly after he landed. I get the feeling that Thelwell and Colin Chong are de facto running the club at this point amidst the management and financial vacuums at the top, but they should be able to get back to their usual duties with the arrivals of Friedkin and whoever he chooses as CEO (Souloukou?). Matt Warnock 51 Posted 26/09/2024 at 23:24:11 Appreciate all the thoughtful comments. Glad to know Im not alone in the Thelwell Sort-Of Fanclub.Again, not saying hes the second coming of Monchi (who had a stinker at Roma, so isnt infallible) or some sort of revolutionary and transformative figure. Just that his mistakes can be explained and hes generally acted like a steady sensible man with a plan. Id take issue with those saying the lowering of the wage bill was accidental/incidental. We ‘could and have in the past replaced those players/contracts with bigger ones. Cutting it by 2/5ths is purposeful and planned. Maybe the bar is incredibly low, maybe competence is the least we should expect from our great club, but we havent seen it in such a long time that I think its worthy of remark when someone reaches that mark. Dave Cashen 52 Posted 27/09/2024 at 06:44:11 Agreed again Matt.Cutting the wage bill at a time when players are looking for more money than ever before has been no small achievement. You should pop in more often.Robert Thank you for setting the record straight about Beto. We will eventually recoup a fair amount of what we paid for Maupay and with Chertmiti looking promising... Daniel A Johnson 53 Posted 06/10/2024 at 20:40:56 Great article.I do think, if the takeover happens, then we do need to keep Thelwell and Dyche. We still need to build with careful structured well-planned buys and I feel Dyche and Thelwell won't piss the money down the drain like some fancy new manager would.The biggest crime in Moshiri's tenure is that the charlatan and bull-shitter Marcel Brands was allowed to throw Marco Silva under the bus. I still think Marco Silva is one of the best managers in the Premier League. He's more than proved it at Fulham. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. How to get rid of these ads and support TW © ToffeeWeb