What would be a good finish for Everton next season?
The Blues haven't made any new signings yet but with the squad returning to training later this week, we've asked three members of the ECHO sportsdesk for their thoughts on the subject.
Chris Beesley
Neville Southall, Everton’s most-decorated player and the world’s best goalkeeper in his pomp attributed the Blues’ downfall in recent decades to “You (Everton supporters) have been sold a vision that finishing sixth is f****** great.”
While the “Good times” declaration from chairman Bill Kenwright, who has overseen the longest trophyless period in the club’s history understandably continues to rankle with many loyal but long-suffering Evertonians, a dose of realism is required when it comes to expectations for next season for any of us who still stand by the Blues’ motto of “Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.” What can we really expect after the club has just narrowly avoided their first relegation in 72 years after posting the lowest equivalent points total in their 135-years in the Football League/Premier League?
As things stand with no new faces added, the squad is currently weaker than the one that picked up a paltry 36 points last term with Yerry Mina, Conor Coady, Tom Davies and Asmir Begovic having all left. On the flip side though, surely some new faces have to arrive before the big kick-off, don’t they?
Back in January, Farhad Moshiri said: “If we need a new striker, we’ll get one,” but over six months waiting we’re still waiting for director of football Kevin Thelwell to make his first move and for Sean Dyche to secure his first signing. A big positive will be having Dyche and his staff in from the start with a full pre-season programme to implement their methods behind them but Everton can’t expect that alone to be enough.
Curiously those who remember the glory days of Southall and company were left frustrated by the nearly men under David Moyes and Roberto Martinez but such has been their dramatic downfall under the current regime, their tenures are now revered as some kind of golden era. Many beleaguered Blues would snap your hand off now for the back-to-back 11th place finishes that brought the Catalan’s reign to a halt shortly after Moshiri’s takeover.
Dyche holds the Premier League record for the highest-placed finish with a team averaging less than a goal a game (he took Burnley side that netted just 36 times in 38 matches and finished with a negative goal difference to seventh and European qualification in 2017/18). It would surely be too much to ask this Everton side for anything resembling a repeat of that so realistically a “good finish” would be somewhere outside of the bottom quarter of the table and avoiding another battle against the drop because after a couple of near-misses it could be a case of three strikes and you’re out.
Saying that, the last time the Blues finished 17th, they went on to come fourth and record their highest-ever Premier League position the following season…
Joe Thomas
Survival has to be the starting point for next season. After two difficult years no-one associated with Everton can take anything for granted and I think this campaign will have to be all about making sure the club stays above the dotted line once again.
If this summer is to prove tricky then there is at least light at the end of the tunnel – the profit and sustainability picture should look healthier next summer, while the sheer number of players out of contract then offer the club a genuine chance to overhaul the squad ahead of what could be the first season in which some games are played in the new stadium.
In Sean Dyche, Everton have a pragmatist and so I think the club has a decent chance of avoiding the drop so long as he is fully briefed on the context within which he is working. If the club can make the most of a good start (on paper) then some momentum might build that can push the club towards an easier season than the last two.
A few positive signs for the future would be an added bonus if they can be secured - a genuine senior breakthrough season for an academy graduate like Tom Cannon would be great, even more so if it can be topped up by the likes of James Garner and Jarrad Branthwaite showing they can be good top flight players over a sustained period. Coming through this year with a core of young, hungry, proven Premier League players who are developing together is not completely out of the question.
I’m hoping this next season will be about more than just survival and, if Dominic Calvert-Lewin can attract better luck and one or two clever signings come in, a season of low jeopardy could be within reach. But, right now, considering how much Everton’s position should naturally improve next summer and the difficulty of the past two seasons, I would take survival now – ideally before the final games of the season.
Matt Jones
July and early August – when Everton aren't actually playing any football matches – can be a good time to harness positivity about the upcoming campaign.
Fans should be anticipating new signings, wondering how they will fare and generally getting excited about how the team will take shape.
Alas, this is Everton.
After staying up by the skin of their teeth for a second consecutive year, it was obvious that Sean Dyche's squad needed huge improvement in practically every outfield position. As it stands, the team have lost two regular centre-backs and a fringe central midfielder but no new players have signed up.
So while a full pre-season of Dyche should have the players in better shape for the battles to come, without a number of new signings it won't be enough to bridge the gap to mid-table, never mind the middle part of the bottom of the table.
After the 3-2 win over Palace and the 1-0 win over Bournemouth, fans pleaded for such relegation battles to "never happen again", yet little has been done to manifest those basic hopes into reality. As things stand, the Blues are in an ever poorer position going into pre-season in a division that continues to be bolstered by quality elsewhere.
So for the time being, a good finish for Everton is 17th – there is very little to suggest this group is capable of achieving anything greater. The Blues really need to get a move on.
