Article
Time for my annual look at the Everton squad and what we might need in order to stay safe and hopefully more next season. I’m going to look at the whole squad by position and will assume that we will play primarily in the sort of 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 formation that we saw Dyche using for the majority of last season.
Goalkeeper
Jordan Pickford
Joao Virginia
Billy Crellin
Harry Tyrer
We look decently stocked here. Jordan Pickford (who I have been critical of in previous seasons) was excellent last season and carried that form into the Euros. He seems settled and happy here.
Virginia looks a decent number 2 and was good when needed last season; he may want more minutes but will hopefully stay.
Crellin and Tyrer are good young players and Tyrer had an excellent loan at Chesterfield last year.
Incomings
No real need. We’ve lost Lonergan and might want to add a senior backup but Virginia is capable if he wants to stay.
Left-Back
Vitalii Mykolenko|
Ashley Young
Elijah Campbell
Mykolenko was a good performer last season and will hopefully be back to full fitness, but the depth here is shallow. Campbell played at left-back back I believe against Sligo Rovers but is more of a centre-back usually. Young is a decent backup but we wouldn’t want him playing too many games. Perhaps McNeil or Coleman could fill in at a pinch.
Incomings
Some depth here would be useful but probably not a priority. Finding a new defender who is versatile and could fill a few positions (like Godfrey did) would make sense.
Right-Back
Nathan Patterson
Seamus Coleman
Ashley Young
Mason Holgate
There is better depth here but a lack of quality. It will be interesting to see how much faith Sean Dyche puts int Patterson but he has not offered the defensive solidity that the manager craves so far, in fact, the best thing for him might be a loan to a Championship team where he’ll start every game.
Coleman and Young will always do their best but neither are ideal starters for long periods, so for me this is a priority area to improve in. Roman Dixon could be an option from the Under-21s but, as rapid as the youngster is, it would be a big step up.
Incomings
Tete from Fulham would have seemed a good choice on a free but has signed an option agreement. Wan-Bissaka at £10-15M would seem a no-brainer.
Other options I like of varying plausibility include Marvin Seneya, Tiago Santos, Marc Pubill, Commencia, Lorenz Assignon, Valentin Gendrey, Bafode Diakite, Angelo Preciado, Lutshurel Geertruida, Issa Kabore.
Not sure I’ve seen any truly exciting options here so my pick is going to be Ferdi Kadioglu from Fenerbahce, who is a good all-round right-back who works hard and crucially is comfortable at left- or right-back, so would offer us flexibility.
Centre-Back
James Tarkowski
Jarrad Branthwaite
Michael Keane
Mason Holgate
Reece Welch
Tarkowski and Branthwaite have proved a very effective pair and the best news of the summer may yet be the likely stay of the latter. But again the depth is poor.
Keane is a decent deputy but not many want to see Holgate given minutes and I’d imagine Thelwell will be looking for another loan for him if possible. Welch is a decent young talent but not ready for the Premier League; Tyler Onyango could also feature here but is likewise not at Premier League level yet.
Incomings
A tricky one here as no incoming centre-back is likely to displace the preferred two. It may be that we get someone like Nathan Chalobah from Chelsea or Becir Omeragic who are mobile and good enough on the ball to play as a defensive right back instead.
Other options might be: Jorthy Mokio, Martin Vitik, Jayden Oosterwolde, Diego Coppola, Rav van den Berg, Jean Belocian, Ousmane Diomande, Jaka Bijol.
My top pick would be Jake O’Brien from Lyon. This guy is a monster at 6ft-6in but surprisingly agile and fast (he was able to keep up with Mbappe at times). He is good on the ball with a good right foot and decent left and crucially wins a lot of his duels, like Branthwaite. He would be a good replacement for Branthwaite when the time comes for him to move on… but could be a good first backup or defensive full-back until then.
Centre-Midfield
Idrissa Gana Gueye
Abdoulaye Doucouré
James Garner
Tim Iroegbunam
Dele Alli
Amadou Onana has gone for decent money without being a first pick for Sean Dyche, which leaves four senior midfielders (five if Dele Alli stays) for two spots, with Doucouré expected to play deeper this season.
Iroegbunam looks a talent and Garner proved dependable if not spectacular last season, so there is decent depth. My biggest issue is that none of these players is an obvious sitting defensive midfielder, they all like to roam around; but then having one of the strongest defences in the Premier League last season suggests this may not be too much of an issue.
If Gana can maintain his levels, he will be first pick alongside one of Garner or Doucouré or possibly Iroegbunam.
Incomings
A more disciplined defensive centre-midfielder might be useful but this does not look a priority right now despite some of the transfer links. If we did have to get someone, I’m surprised there’s not been more buzz around Gabriel Sara, who was excellent for Norwich City last season.
Left-Wing and Right-Wing
Dwight McNeil
James Harrison
Iliman Ndiaye
Youssef Chermiti
McNeil we know well now and has proved mostly dependable. Harrison is a hard worker who I expect to offer more end product this season after a good pre-season.
Ndiaye I’d prefer to see behind the striker and Chermiti is also better centrally which means we need at least one more option here. Pace is something we lack out wide, which is why I especially wanted us to get Minteh but there are still plenty of good wingers out there.
Incomings
Some options may be: Jonathan Rowe, Loum Tchaona, Amad Diallo, Mathis Labourde, Johan Bakayoko, Mathias Soule, Luca Koleosho, Geny Catamo, Dilane Bakwa, Yaser Asprilla.
I know many are unconvinced but I still have a softspot for Wilfried Gnonto from Leeds. Perhaps it feels like unfinished business but I think he looks a very tricky customer when he’s in the mood and has that capacity to make something happen with a burst of speed and decent shooting off either foot. He managed 10 goals and 3 assists in under 2000 minutes last season, which is pretty decent for a 20-year-old who was in a grump and mostly not starting.
I also like the idea of loaning Jesper Lindstrøm, who also has a good burst of speed and can play across the front. It would be good to have more options as last year we relied so heavily on McNeill and Harrison (still not sure why Danjuma played so little).
Attacking-Midfield
Iliman Ndiaye
Abdoulaye Doucouré
Neal Maupay
Dele Alli
Youssef Chermitti
I’m hoping that this is where Ndiaye will play and I think he will be excellent there. He has sharp feet and good vision plus a strong work ethic, and should be exactly what Dyche needs in this spot.
Doucoure had his moments there last season but tailed off somewhat and will probably be used in the No 8 position he prefers.
Many have written off Neal Maupay who will probably be sold but he could be a wildcard here, he managed 8 goals and 4 assists (more than our forwards) in 1400 minutes last season, which is impressive; he can be a real nuisance in this spot rather than as a lone striker.
And talking of wildcards will we see Alli feature?
Incomings
We’re pretty well covered here. Not a priority, with Harrison and McNeil also options potentially.
Centre-Forward
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Beto
Yousseff Chermiti
Neal Maupay
Iliman Ndiaye
Perhaps the big question that remains is the future of Calvert-Lewin. He’s our best centre-forward but I’m not sure we can allow him to run his contract down and leave for free. If he won’t sign, then I think any offer over £20M will have to be seriously considered.
Most people on here have very low opinions of Beto but his underlying statistics paint a slightly brighter picture and, if he were first choice, then I think he’d surprise some.
I’m also excited to see Chermitti progress, who may well end up being the best of all three but would benefit from getting more minutes this season somewhere.
Incomings
If Calvert-Lewin does leave I’d be happy enough with Beto and Chermitti but many would not so here are some options: Kelechi Iheanacho, Max Beier, Tammy Abraham, Tasos Douvikas, Jhon Dhuran, Armando Broja, Elijah Adebayo, Ben Brereton Diaz, Terem Moffi, Haji Wright.
If I had to pick one, I’d be curious for David Datro Fofana on loan but I’m not sure that he’s a significant upgrade on Beto or Chermiti. Ideally, I’d like Calvert-Lewin to sign a new contract and stay another year at least.
Transfer Business
Out:–
Amadou Onana – £55M
Ben Godfrey – £12M
Lewis Dobbin – £11M
Neal Maupay – £10M
Mason Holgate – on loan
Nathan Patterson – on loan
Total = £83M
In:–
Iliman Ndiaye – £17M
Tim Iroegbunam – £10M
Wilfried Gnonto – £20M
Ferdi Kadioglu – £18M
Jake O’Brien – £18M
Jesper Lindstrøm – on loan
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – new contract
Total = £83M
I think it’s highly unlikely that we will spend as much as we sell but given how unclear the financial situation is why not have fun! This would leave us a first team and bench something like:
Pickford
Kadioglu Tarkowski Branthwaite Mykolenko
Gana Doucouré
Gnonto Ndiaye McNeil
Calvert-Lewin
Subs: Virginia, Young, O’Brien, Garner, Iroegbunam, Alli, Harrison, Lindstrøm, Chermiti, Beto.
I think that looks a pretty balanced team and crucially it’s a really strong bench with lots of options available to influence and change the game. The likes of Ndiaye, Gnonto and Lindstrøm should mean more goals and better, quicker transitions whereas Kadioglu and O’Brien will help keep us solid at the back.
I’m broadly speaking quite optimistic this season. The competition will be tougher as Leicester City, Southampton and Ipswich Town look stronger than Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United but we have a pragmatic manager who should make us hard to beat.
Our finishing let us down so badly last season and, if we could be just a bit more clinical, then I’m hoping we might finish around 12th or 13th. In reality, given the lack of recent financial investment into the team, anything above the relegation zone would be the basic goal but I’m hopeful for more.