Farhad Moshiri and his Everton board backed Ronald Koeman to bring in an arsenal of summer signings that saw the club spend a net amount of £142.38m. Despite spending so heavily, they have failed to score regularly and the side were once threatened by relegation.
Tipped by many to challenge the ‘top six’, the Toffees were expected to fight for a European spot this time. Currently, Everton are fighting a battle of rejuvenation after having been to hell and back in the early few months of the season. The club has in no way been 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.
As their form slumped down through a never-ending spiral, it saw the hammer fall on their ex-boss Ronald Koeman. Koeman’s sacking did little to change the club’s fortunes as they became the league’s bashing boys.
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 have 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.
Goodison Park has changed from a depressing arena of uncertainty to a place of tentative hope. A month back, Everton were the bogey side teams were craving to face. In the space of a few months, the scenario at Merseyside looks to be lifting. Everton are now preparing for a fresh assault next season and seem keen on preparing for reinforcements from now on itself.
They have now been linked with Sheffield Wednesday’s highly-rated midfielder Sean Clare. The player has been very impressive and is on the radar of multiple clubs including the likes of Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Southampton, Sunderland and Norwich City.
His contract expires at the end of the current season and he has so far refused to sign a new one signalling that he is ready to move on. Should he go to Everton, he would definitely get more exposure and better training coaches but his game time would suffer significantly. At the age of 21, nothing is more important than being on the pitch week in week out and the youngster must be careful of the pitfalls of the move or altogether avoid them by opting to not choose Everton.
