Everton took a progressive step in the summer when they decided to get rid of the unreasonable idealist Roberto Martinez and got the competent and practical Ronald Koeman on board to take the club forward. He was supposedly handed a handsome transfer kitty and given the green signal to make a number of signings which the Iranian owner- Farhad Moshiri had sanctioned.
They got the likes of Valencia, Williams, Bolasie, Gueye and a few more on board. Koeman was surely tasked with getting the club forward and one of the first jobs would have been to ensure the settling-in period for of the new players does not have too much of a bearing on their position in the League table.
And although it hasn’t been the case, as Everton sit in the 7th spot just below Manchester United, the Top 6 teams are looking extremely hard to displace. They are currently in a league of their own and teams like Everton and West Bromwich need to pull off something special to disturb the dominance of the traditional big clubs.
But what is clear is that Koeman and Everton are capable or will be once they add a few more names to their kitty according to the manager’s choice. There are a number of areas where they can alter things or add new players to have a potent charge towards the Top 6.
Koeman backed his fellow Dutchman with the duties under the bar but till now there have been mixed results.
Marten Stekelenburg comes with a lot of pedigree and a good CV. But in all fairness, he hasn’t yet performed up to the levels which were expected of him. The Dutch keeper has been consistently inconsistent and has already made a number of high-profile errors most notably the rushing out of his goal line against Manchester United thus giving Zlatan Ibrahimovic a chance to show off his technical brilliance.
He has been iffy multiple times and hasn’t been able to command his area or exude a sense of calm or confidence while keeping.
And in keeping with the ambitions of the Goodison Park outfit, it is understandable that they have been linked with a move for England No.1- Joe Hart.
Hart left City in controversial circumstances and due to the lack of time in the transfer window, had to settle for a loan move to Torino. But Everton were always touted as an interested party when it came to the City legend.
He will come in undoubted pedigree and his experience is top notch in the Premier League, in Europe and all over the world. Koeman doesn’t have any fetish for keepers who can pass like Busquets and will be more than happy with Joe’s shot-stopping prowess and his distribution which are pretty good.
Everton might have to fork out £15m for his services but it a deal which will certainly elevate their standing.
