Lessons need to be learned at Everton over the “key decisions” concerning recruitment, reckons former Blues defender Joleon Lescott.
Lescott left Everton in acrimonious circumstances in 2009 when he joined Manchester City for £22million after a nightmare final appearance in a 6-1 home defeat to Arsenal after manager David Moyes had rejected his initial transfer request.
Snapped up from Wolverhampton Wanderers three years earlier, Lescott had been scouted extensively by Moyes before arriving at Goodison Park with the Scot revealing he’d watched him play on 24 separate occasions before sealing a deal. The future England international was one of several “hungry, young players” Moyes could shape his squad-building around during the era, such as Joseph Yobo, Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines.
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In contrast, Everton’s player acquisitions of recent years have consisted of too many expensive flops and despite having a squad which is widely reported as commanding the seventh-highest wage bill in the Premier League, they have taken less than a point per game so far this season – the club's lowest-ever total at this stage of a campaign – and currently find themselves just one place above the relegation zone.
Lescott told LiveScore : "Although Frank Lampard finds himself in a difficult situation at Goodison Park, I guarantee you there won’t be a single day he regrets taking the job. It’s such a massive club with amazing support. The potential is always going to be huge and I think most managers would struggle to turn Everton down, regardless of their recent struggles.
"Don’t get me wrong, it’s extremely challenging. Frank is a young manager who will have his own ideas and philosophies that he’s keen to implement. However, right now he just needs to grind out points by any means necessary. Everything needs to be focused on results for the next few weeks.
"Should they manage to stay up, lessons need to be learned at board level from what has been a disastrous campaign. These troubles are certainly not down to a lack of investment. Owner Farhad Moshiri clearly means well and wants success but hasn’t found the right process for making key decisions.
"When I joined Manchester City, they were trying to make that transition into a top side and one of the most important things they did was implement a proper structure from top to bottom. People were brought in at positions they had vast experience in and were given the freedom and trust to execute their roles without interference.
"Throwing lots of money around in football is not a guarantee of success. Unfortunately, Everton have found that out the hard way."
Joleon Lescott was speaking to LiveScore. To read his full column, click here.
