Everton are still yet to appoint Sam Allardyce’s successor despite sacking him three days after the end of the Premier League season, but that hasn’t stopped them putting plans in place for next term as they look to build upon a hugely disappointing campaign.
The Toffees would have been hoping for a top-seven finish minimum last summer when owner Farhad Moshiri invested heavily in Ronald Koeman’s squad, but a disastrous start saw the Dutchman sacked in October and eventually replaced on a full-time basis by Allardyce, who led them to eighth.
Marco Silva looks like he could be the man to take the vacant position with director of football Marcel Brands, who will be an instant hero with the Goodison Park faithful if he pulls off a remarkable £70m deal, pulling the strings in terms of recruitment after Steve Walsh was relieved of his duties.
Brands will know that he needs to add some real quality to the team to ensure that not only are they the best of the rest next term, but also that they can make a serious challenge to gatecrash the top six sides and try and finish above the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and arch-rivals Liverpool, who will all have the distraction of European football.
There are certainly players out there who can help them achieve that aim, and Moshiri and the board need to get things right in the transfer market to make it happen.
Here are four huge signings that would ensure Everton gatecrash the Top 6 party…
With Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams no longer good enough to be regular starters and Ramiro Funes Mori’s future seemingly in doubt, Everton are ultimately left with Michael Keane, Matthew Pennington and Mason Holgate as their centre-back options, and they need better if they are to progress next season.
Newcastle centre-back and captain Lascelles could be the answer to their problem, with the 24-year-old showing how good he is both defensively and from a leadership point of view as the Magpies finished 10th last season.
While he would come at a big price, he is a player that would tighten what was a leaky Everton backline at times last term, and his arrival could also help Keane improve too following a tough first campaign at Goodison Park.
With Leighton Baines getting no younger and not having the energy to get up and down the pitch like he once did for the Toffees, bringing a new left-back to Goodison Park must be one of Everton’s priorities this summer.
Having fallen behind Ben Davies in the pecking order at Tottenham, Rose is a player that could be on the move in the coming weeks in search of more regular minutes on the pitch, and the England international would certainly get that with the Merseyside outfit.
The 27-year-old still has plenty to offer at this level, and he would have a huge point to prove if Spurs did decide to sell him.
One of Everton’s weaknesses during a disappointing 2017/18 campaign was their central midfield, where the likes of Idrissa Gueye and Morgan Schneiderlin weren’t putting in the same level of performances as they were in the previous season.
The latter in particular came under fierce criticism from the supporters, and the Toffees often looked a little bit too open in those areas.
The addition of giant defensive midfielder Carvalho to sit in front of the back four and protect them would certainly go a long way to sorting that issue, and it would give Gueye more attacking freedom than he perhaps has right now.
While Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott impressed following their January moves and Gylfi Sigurdsson started to improve before his season was ended by injury, you get the feeling that Everton need another quality body in their frontline.
They should consider making an ambitious move to bring Man United striker Rashford to Goodison Park on loan, with a temporary deal a distinct possibility if Jose Mourinho brings a new attacker to Old Trafford this summer.
The Portuguese boss may want the 20-year-old to go out and play regularly following what has been a disappointing season where he has found himself behind the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku in the pecking order.
Do you agree, Everton fans? Let us know below.
