Chief executive Angus Kinnear talks winter transfer window and progress so far

It has been over a year since The Friedkin Group took over Everton Football Club and to celebrate the occasion, chief executive Angus Kinnear addressed the fans to talk about the club’s summer progress and upcoming winter transfer window plans.

Everton signed nine players this summer, bringing in notable names like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish, along with the addition of young talents like Thierno Barry, Tyler Dibling and Adam Aznou, who are yet to establish themselves so far.

The club also renewed the contracts of Michael Keane and Idrissa Gana Gueye while also tying down Jarrad Branthwaite to a new long-term contract.

“The recruitment structures we put in place, marrying world-class analytics with industry-leading talent identification and player trading capability, have borne fruit,” said the Everton CEO. 

“The signings of Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have perhaps rightfully stolen the headlines, and validated our principle of only signing players who were prepared to crawl over broken glass to wear our shirt, but I believe we have made equally adroit decisions in the players we retained to provide continuity, and in the acquisition of emerging talent. Whilst it is important to be patient with young signings, we are confident they will have an impact in the months and years ahead.

"The renewals of Michael Keane and, football’s own Benjamin Button, Idrissa Gana Gueye, have proven to be sound decisions, marrying data and coaching input to retain talent that might have otherwise been overlooked.

"Equally, Thierno Barry, Merlin Rohl, Tyler Dibling, Charly Alcaraz and Adam Aznou may have had limited minutes as a collective thus far, but they have shown in their hard work at Finch Farm that they will have the capability to contribute at the highest level.”

Despite the signings, the Blues are facing a period of crisis at the moment, with multiple injuries along with the absence of Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye due to international duty. As such, fans are expecting a few arrivals in the winter window to alleviate the pressure and help the Toffees in their bid to compete in European football in the second half of the season.

Kinnear, however, has stressed that the club will not be resorting to short-term fixes as the goal remains to address another phase of rebuild next summer.

"Across January, the Sky Sports transfer window ticker will countdown in milliseconds in an attempt to whip up a trading frenzy amongst their viewers, but all our experience demonstrates how challenging the winter market is to deliver quality and value,” he added. “We will work towards identifying and executing opportunities that will make us stronger in the long term. But these opportunities will need to be exceptional, and we will avoid short-term fixes that will weaken our hand for phase two of our rebuild next summer."

 

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