Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman has called on his old club to sign not one but two attackers this summer.
Everton ended the season with four league goals from their three attackers, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Neal Maupay and Ellis Simms, and for the final game of the campaign against Bournemouth, Demarai Gray was given the nod to lead the line in place of the injured Calvert-Lewin.
Blues boss Sean Dyche wanted two attacking additions to help his side’s battle to avoid relegation to the Sky Bet Championship League back in January, but none were forthcoming as Everton ended the window as the only top-flight club not to make a signing.
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Despite promises from majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, that Everton would secure a much-needed striker in January, the club ended the window with a weaker squad than when it opened. The Blues now face another crucial summer in the transfer market as they attempt to trim a bloated squad and bring together a group that will be fit for purpose.
And Osman believes Dyche and director of football Kevin Thelwell need to bring in at least two strikers to ensure his old club does not find itself in the same position it has over the last two seasons.
"In my opinion, it has got to be number one and number two," the former England international replied when asked about attacking reinforcements this summer.
"I think we need more than one coming in because we have seen how injuries can affect the team. I think Sean Dyche needs options at the top of the field, and he has traditionally known how to play with two at the top end of the field.
"So I think we need more than one. It is a position that needs more than just a goalscorer; as silly as that sounds, our number nine has to lead the line.
"They have to be able to take the team forward. They have to be able to hold the ball up, and they have to be able to bring other players into the game.
"That is the type of football we have always been used to, and it seems to be the style of football a Sean Dyche team will be used to and will need.
"We have got wide men that can really deliver good quality into the penalty area, but we just lacked a striker in there to be able to put the ball into the back of the goal.
"Midfielders got some goals from late runs, especially Abdoulaye Doucoure, who scored the most incredible and important goals in the back end of the season.
"He was a player who, according to rumours, could have been out of the club by the end of January had Sean Dyche not come in when he did.
"But we need a striker who is going to get into double figures of goals. We need more goals at the top end of the pitch."
Everton preserved their Premier League status with a dramatic final day of the season victory over the Cherries at Goodison Park. Abdoulaye Doucoure’s fierce strike secured the Blues a 1-0 win that sent Leeds United and Leicester City down, although for a while Dyche’s side were in the drop zone as the Foxes led West Ham United.
A year ago, then-Everton boss Frank Lampard greeted a rollercoaster win over Crystal Palace by dancing on top of one of the directors’ boxes. However, this time around, the atmosphere inside Goodison was a lot more subdued.
"The difference between the two seasons is massive," Osman said, reflecting on the post-match scenes. "We did celebrate last season, and I did like the fact that this season was more subdued.
"It was right, and the feeling was that’s enough. We need to set our standards much higher than this because this club should not be in this position.
"These messages start from the manager, and those messages were clearly in the players' heads. They celebrated it differently than they did last season.
"They know that standards haven’t been met throughout the course of the season, and they know because the manager has told them that it started immediately once the referee blew that final whistle.
"It is not a time to go off and celebrate the season over the summer; it is time to take stock of what happened over the season and start preparing for hopefully a better season next year."
Leon Osman was speaking to ECHO at Socios.com’s Everton Fan Token Cup, a football tournament for Toffees Fan Token holders at Goodison Park.
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