A recent report by The Daily Express has picked out a list of thirteen Everton players who must be sold by the Toffees in the summer, in order to regain balance within the squad, while also cutting down on a whopping £563k/week from the wage bill. Toffees’ director of football Marcel Brands had already clarified at Everton’s AGM that his ideal Premier League squad would contain 23 players, meaning that a fair number of first-team outcasts would have to be ejected.
Brands further went on to claim that 23 players would allow enough opportunities to academy graduates, hence creating an effective squad. It has been suggested that the ambition of achieving this squad balance is what prompted the Toffees to have a rather quiet January transfer window. With regard to the situation at Goodison Park, Express Sport picked out thirteen first-team players who had to be offloaded by the Toffees at the earliest.
Here Are Four Sales That Everton Must Make This Summer:
Maarten Stekelenburg
The tall Dutchman has been a constant figure in the European football scene since he made his professional debut for Ajax all the way back in 2001. Now 37, the veteran is yet to make an appearance for the Toffees this season and is clearly one of the players who aren’t currently needed at the club. At a wage of £30k per week, it doesn’t make sense for Everton to hold onto the veteran shot-stopper, especially considering that Jordan Pickford is sure to be the Everton number one for a long time to come.
Cuco Martina
The Curaçao international is yet to feature for the first-team this season and has only appeared in one Premier League 2 game for the Toffees all term. After his rather uneventful loan spell at Feyenoord, the 30-year-old has once again returned to mediocrity at Goodison Park, and is undoubtedly one of the players that Carlo Ancelotti must look to offload.
Oumar Niasse
The Senegalese international striker was acquired from Lokomotiv Moscow for a considerable fee in the winter of 2016 and has yet to really hit the massive heights that were expected of him. The 29-year-old’s direct approach to the game doesn’t suit the Toffees’ playing style under Ancelotti, and the fact that he’s yet to start a game this season under any manager highlights just how badly the striker has been suffering.
Theo Walcott
Probably the most controversial of the four picks, the Englishman has been around the Premier League scene for the longest time now, but has yet to really nail down a spot in the first-team at any point in his career. Consistency is an issue that has haunted the former Arsenal man’s career, while the untimely injuries he’s picked up along the way haven’t helped his cause either. The speedster is set to turn 31 in a couple of months but continues to put in extremely mixed performances, and at a salary of a £100k a week, the Toffees will do well to offload the Englishman in the summer.
