Farhad Moshiri and his Everton board backed Ronald Koeman to bring in an arsenal of summer signings that saw the club spend a fortune. Despite spending so heavily, the team started off the season in horrendous fashion and was on an endless losing streak. As their form slumped down through a never-ending spiral, it saw the hammer fall on their ex-boss Ronald Koeman. However, his sacking did little to change the club’s fortunes as they continued to lose match after match.
The club has in no way thrown any challenge to the top six in the first round of the Premier League. Their Thursday night outings in the Europa League were in sync with their disappointing domestic form with the Toffees, claiming one win in six matches and ending their group stage second from bottom.
However, as the fans and pundits stood to wait for Everton to disappear into the lower leagues, the board appointed Sam Allardyce as the new manager. Big Sam has a history of turning around fortunes for a club in crisis. He has lifted the blue team of Merseyside from a relegation threat to a respectable mid-table position.
Everton has now become a resilient team with a good defensive organization. Despite their mini-collapse in January, they are still way better off than they were a few months back. They have a good mix of youth and experience in their defence and according to reports could be further buoyed by the arrival of 33-year-old defender Dusko Tosic. The player has been in excellent form this season and is being eyed up by Leicester City and Everton.
A move to Everton would suit him nicely and with Baines, at 32 and Cuco Martina only filling in as left back in the absence of another senior left back specialist; Tosic is likely to get a host of chances at left back alone.
Even at centre-back, the Toffees have not exactly been reassuring despite having talented players. Ramiro Funes Mori is still sidelined with a knee injury while Phil Jagielka is edging towards the end of his career. Ashley Williams is no longer the player he was at Swansea City; Mason Holgate is way too young to be leading a defence day in day out and new signing Michael Keane has been criticised way too often. This would mean that Tosic at 33, would provide the perfect cover for Everton and allow Keane and Holgate to settle in easily thus making the transition easy for the Toffees.
