Sean Dyche gears up for another ‘firefight’ with Everton fans ready to embrace ‘mid-table mediocrity’ ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
Everton Football Club have become a mediocre shadow of themselves throughout the last two seasons. Financial instability, fans unrest and many unresolvable issues on the pitch have rendered them relegation battlers, and fans are ready to embrace another campaign of struggle.
A few years ago, when Farhad Moshiri took over the club, his financial backing was thought to take Everton into new realms. Forget qualifying for the Champions League; for the amount they have invested, they should have at least contested for the title once, only if they had spent the money on proper players.
Now, with two years of thick relegation dogfights, Everton fans enter another season in a grumpy mood, not knowing how their team would fare this term. There is probably another battle at the foot of the table brewing. But things could change if they get incredibly active in the transfer market.
Sean Dyche arrived in January when it became clear that Everton would have a close shave in the relegation battle. They did, and the former Burnley manager showed his experience in gritty results that eventually ensured their safety.
The new season comes, and they are in a similar spot to last season, where Everton’s hands are tied in the transfer market. They have spent around £3 million on transfers, with the money going to Villarreal as Arnaut Danjuma’s loan fee.
Dyche has a big task to ensure Everton are not among those fighting for relegation in the new season. Amidst all the uncertainty surrounding the club on the pitch and outside of it, there is hardly any optimism, with another feisty season on the horizon.
The Prelude
Frank Lampard may have gained public sympathy during the ‘civil war’ between the club’s fans and board. But the former Chelsea boss barely did enough to improve their fortunes on the pitch. Some terrible performances warranted him getting the sack long ago. However, the fan unrest caused a massive delay and got public opinion on his side.
🫠 Frank Lampard’s record in the 2022/23 season for Everton and Chelsea
❌❌🤝✅🤝🤝🤝✅✅❌❌❌✅🤝❌❌❌❌🤝❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌✅🤝❌❌ pic.twitter.com/MbvCAdo7NM
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 25, 2023
That resulted in a few underwhelming games without Everton getting anywhere close to achieving points. Eventually, when Lampard got the sack, the Toffees were in a precarious position. Barring a few decent players, nobody was performing in the team.
For context, Everton had four strikers last season, and those yielded four goals, including a penalty. It even led to Lampard recalling Ellis Simms from his loan, and he scored against Chelsea later in the season. The mistake was putting all their eggs in a basket named Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The striker barely played, let alone found his old goalscoring form. He did prove handy but only just about. Like the season before, Everton managed to avoid relegation by a whisker, yet again, there were questions regarding their performances on the pitch.
The joy of surviving the ordeal lasted for a few days. But the grimness returned once the realisation stuck that, once again, fans must look forward to another underwhelming season. So far as the summer has gone, there is no reason for that mood to change.
To add to the gloom, Everton face a hearing in October over whether it breached the profit and sustainability rules. The outcome could result in a point deduction, leading to massive unrest and an even bigger fight to get out of their current reputation in the Premier League.
Fans are ready to embrace mid-table mediocrity, and Dyche is gearing up for another firefight. That was not what Everton fans dreamed of when the sudden cash inflow through Moshiri came about a few years ago. But that remains their reality, and they must compete with what they have.
Everton must make essential additions, and Dyche wants a few key players before the window shuts. So far, they have only got veteran Ashley Young on a free transfer and ‘judas’ Danjuma, who may have had lesser market options after an underwhelming loan spell at Tottenham.
There are links to Sporting CP’s Youssef Chermiti and one of Leeds United attackers Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto. Dyche expressed his desire to bring speed and quickness into the final third.
EXCL: Everton reached an agreement in principle with Sporting to sign Youssef Chermiti as new striker 🚨🔵🇵🇹 #EFC
Deal in place between clubs — verbally agreed in the recent hours for 2004 born striker to join PL side. pic.twitter.com/ksetorB2ur
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 31, 2023
However, one of the wingers will surely replace Demarai Gray, who wants a move to Fulham as things stand. Meanwhile, they have yet to address the big hole in their centre-forward position, as they surely cannot put all their eggs in that Calvert-Lewin-shaped bask again.
Hence, signing a centre-forward should remain their absolute priority in the final period of the transfer window. Other areas like defence and midfield may also need an upgrade. But they have decent options to continue. They should invest in a striker heavily, if required, and possibly another winger to offset the departure of Gray.
Meanwhile, there are rumours Alex Iwobi wants out. And if that happens, Everton will be in a big pile of mud in terms of creativity and grit in their squad. The Nigerian was one of the bright sparks in that underwhelming season.
Moreover, Everton must keep all their main stars during this last part of the window. Financially, they might benefit from selling the likes of Iwobi now. But losing someone like Amadou Onana may have ramifications for their season ahead.
Squad Update
There is only little to report regarding squad updates other than this Everton side is thinner than last season. Seven players have left the club permanently, including promising young striker Ellis Simms, who joined Coventry City.
🗣️ Ashley Young: “Put any challenge in front of me and I go full-throttle. I’m prepared to play in any position the manager wants me to play. pic.twitter.com/WzGwMjpFsd
— Everton Extra (@Everton_Extra) July 30, 2023
Midfielder Tom Davies also left after his contract expired, which calls for Dyche to make at least one midfield addition. So far, only Ashley Young has arrived along with Danjuma on loan, while Dyche seems to have promoted Under-21 star Thomas Cannon to the first team.
They have recouped a reasonable fee for Moise Kean, who has joined Juventus permanently. Injury-prone duo Yerry Mina and Andros Townsend have also departed. Still, there should not be any qualms about them, having featured sporadically for the side in the last two seasons.
On the positive side, Jarrad Branthwaite returns from a promising loan at PSV Eindhoven. Manchester United are linked with a move for the young defender. But Dyche must keep hold of him, to maximise his future value and help his team with a good player.
As things stand, Branthwaite and James Tarkowski are pencilled in to start in central defence. But beyond that, they need more quality in depth. Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey have yet to prove their worth and could remain as backups, albeit underwhelming.
"There's still some extra sharpness to come. It was mostly a decent performance all-round."
Sean Dyche assesses today's win: pic.twitter.com/BvRxeLHwBp
— Everton (@Everton) August 5, 2023
Conor Coady also left after his loan deal. But the new Leicester City man played little in the latter parts of last season. With Danjuma, they have brought in a promising attacker that could help evolve their style in the final third. It needs forward players to do more independently than rely too much on players behind them.
Overall, Everton need total quality in their starting eleven but will need massive depth options that can do the job. They have a decent squad by the standards set by Dyche. But the board must back their manager in the latter part of the window to sustain the pressure of another relegation battle.
Key Fixtures
Fans will feel pessimistic about how their season begins. But there is still hope to get some points early to set a base for Sean Dyche’s men. There needs to be more confidence in getting something from the opening two games against Fulham, especially Aston Villa.
Our 2023/24 @premierleague schedule. 🗓 pic.twitter.com/ZF17r8xXqI
— Everton (@Everton) June 15, 2023
However, they have home games to fellow relegation favourites Wolves next and then newly promoted Sheffield United. Those two games are their hope to get points on board, although the opening-day clash against Fulham also has a chance for a result.
After the four fixtures, they continue at home and will host Arsenal, their first real brush with a top-six team this season. Beyond that, Everton have decent fixtures until late October, when they face Merseyside rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
For some reason, Everton does not have many big teams facing them in a flurry. But that happens in December when they have to meet Newcastle United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City in the same month. The key for everyone is to take points off teams considered below them.
Those results could help them rise on the table, and there will be a few surprise finishes against the big teams at the creamier part of the table. Those should include the likes of newly-promoted sides, Wolves etc. Then, Everton showed some grit in big games against Manchester City and Arsenal last season. So they must also look to maintain that form this season.
Key Players
James Tarkowski
Sean Dyche is hopeful James Tarkowski had "just a knock" against Sporting. Danjuma back on grass next week. McNeil "facing a little period out". pic.twitter.com/KdV7Hfz4s1
— Everton (@Everton) August 5, 2023
James Tarkowski was the perfect signing for Everton last season after he joined them on a free transfer since leaving Burnley. Little did he know about their scrap with the relegation battle, and a reunion with Dyche was on the cards.
The pair worked out fine, as Tarkowski proved a crucial part of Everton avoiding the drop under Dyche. For the English defender, this will come as another season where he has to play with utmost concentration, although he would hope the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite will have more qualities than some of his partners from last season.
Abdoulaye Doucoure
The Malian international had an eventful campaign, with some of his goals in the latter part of the season why Everton survived relegation. He has since signed a new two-year deal, which should boost their hopes for the upcoming season.
Doucoure is critical to realising Dyche’s style in the midfield, and he should have a good partnership with Onana to lay down a solid foundation for the season. Hence, he is critical to their chances of survival and should continue scoring those essential goals, possibly even more in the upcoming campaign.
Season Expectations
As we said before, Everton fans will feel relaxed if the club are not in the reckoning for relegation. They must create a solid base, free of any immediate entry near the bottom three on the table. The other, most urgent expectations will align with their financial standings as fans hope they can spend some money to strengthen the squad.
"It's not an easy market" ❌
Sean Dyche says Everton "working diligently" to bring more players in 🔵pic.twitter.com/qWQKp2Vcrd
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 30, 2023
Sean Dyche will hope the same and wants some deals sorted quickly. He will also enjoy his core group remaining intact. But the board to back him in the remainder of the window. He may not last the distance at the club if this turns out to be another Burnley experience for him, which has been the case so far.
A mid-table finish in the Premier League would make dreams come true for fans in their current state. Heading into the season, one cannot deny that Everton are one of the favourites for relegation, but Dyche can change that with his immense experience.
