Background
Everton’s plan for getting the football club back into the top half of the league and contending for European football was based on two summer transfer windows of recruitment with manager David Moyes and the much-vaunted transfer committee working behind the scenes at Finch Farm.
Despite bringing in a total of 13 players over those two summers, the club looks worse off than before not only because the playing squad somehow reduced in size to just 18 outfield players, but they have no depth whatsoever
at the positions of striker, left back and right back.
This summer saw the addition of four new players and three who had come over on loan last season and are either back seeing their deals made permanent or on loan again.
The Players
Hayden Hackney – The Championship Player of the Year for last season, the midfielder is a polished player and is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. He does his best work pushed further forward, but is currently filling in at the defensive midfielder position.
Tyrique George – The winger looked very good last season running at defences, and Everton felt he was worth the money to make his loan permanent. They will need him to convert that attacking ability into tangible goals and assists soon, especially with the paucity upfront.
Merlin Rohl – He has quickly become Moyes’ Swiss Army knife player, much like another lanky player from his last term with the Blues in Marouane Fellaini. Currently filling in at right back, the German is coming along very nicely.
Christian Norgaard – With no true defensive midfielders on the squad, he will bring his veteran leadership and press resistance to the Blues. His health is a concern though especially with the player joining Everton already injured and Moyes pessimistic about when he can actually start training.
Brennan Johnson – His vertical style and ability to get behind the backline is something the Toffees have not had in years. He would have formed a lightning-fast partnership with Folarin Balogun but alas that is not to be.
Jack Grealish – Everton were steadfast and dogged in their pursuit of the talismanic forward and ensured he returned to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. However, with still no overlapping fullback behind him, it remains to be seen how effective he can be.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Finally a specialist fullback, even though if you ask him he will say he prefers to play in the middle. Probably not even in the top five list of players the Blues wanted for the position, but will bring some experience and balance to the right side.
Quick Thoughts
Everton only needed to finally sign that specialist right back that had eluded them for half a dozen years now. And yet, despite promises from leadership that they would wait it out for their top targets, they were reduced to scrambling for a player that they have tried to sign about three different times int he last five years, after being unable to bring in a player they had almost signed last summer and then got turned down.
While last summer was one for the youth, this summer it looked like Moyes had given the scouting team the remit that he wanted veteran, Premier League-ready players.
Then there was that entire fiasco with striker Folarin Balogun last night. What quite happened there? Did the player feel disrespected by the Blues following the medical where apparently an issue was found? Or was he insulted that the Toffees were talking to Manchester United about Joshua Zirkzee even while there were still doubts the Monaco player’s transfer would go through?
What really was the plan with the left back position? Adam Aznou got shipped out on loan and now we have the very limited Vitaliy Mykolenko with no back-up or competition for the left back spot.
There is no doubt that at the end of the day Everton as a football club looks bad no matter what went down yesterday evening at Finch Farm, but what’s worse is that Moyes’ squad has been gutted and now will have to make it to January with a threadbare roster. A spate of injuries will decimate this team and any hopes they have of going somewhere this season.
The Friedkin Group and club leadership had been pretty impressive navigating Everton through a transformative time in the club’s history, leaving Goodison Park and going into our new home at Hill Dickinson Stadium in the right frame of mind. However, heads certainly have to roll with how this utter fiasco of a transfer window was conducted.
The proposed sale of young Scouser and fan favourite Harrison Armstrong showed exactly how out of touch the Friedkins are with the pulse of the club. It was certainly surprising how quickly the fanbase united and revolted to the point that the formal agreement with Nottingham Forest was crumpled up and thrown away.
The Blues only had 47 league goals last season, tied for sixth-lowest in the league. Two of those were own goals, and 17 goals have now left via Beto, Ndiaye and Gueye. How will those be replaced this season?
What is the plan for teen sensation Braiden Graham? He has clearly done it all at the PL2 level and needs to be playing against men on a regular basis. With one year left on his contract, he needed to be handed a new deal and sent out on loan to the Championship, or at least League One. Instead he remains with the Under-20 side.
“Our job in the coming weeks is to continue with what we always knew would be a two-summer window plan, and ensure the squad has enough depth to mount an even more compelling challenge next term” – those were the words of club CEO Angus Kinnear a couple of weeks ago. Wonder how he feels about what he said now.
For me this was a poor 5/10 transfer window. Big marks lost for not addressing key areas at right back, left back and striker, and some style points dinged for leaving so much to do on deadline day itself.
CONFIRMED EVERTON SUMMER TRANSFERS
Outgoing
Transferred – Dwight McNeil (Crystal Palace), Beto (Fiorentina), Iliman Ndiaye (Manchester City), Tim Iroegbunam (Hull City), Nathan Patterson (Torino)
Loaned – Adam Aznou (Malaga)
Released – Idrissa Gueye (Al Diriyah – Saudi Pro League), Seamus Coleman (free agent), Tyler Onyango (Sheffield Wednesday)
Incoming
Transferred – Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), Tyrique George (Chelsea), Merlin Rohl (Freiburg), Christian Norgaard (Arsenal), Brennan Johnson (Crystal Palace), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Olympique Lyonnais)
Loaned – Jack Grealish (Manchester City)
