Demarai Gray believes Everton will return to pre-season determined for an improved campaign and insisted there is ‘work to be done’ to ensure the Toffees don’t experience another relegation battle.
Gray, who signed from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for £1.7m, scored six goals and provided five assists across 39 appearances in all competitions. One of these assists included the delightful cross for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to head home the winner in last Thursday’s dramatic 3-2 win over Crystal Palace which secured Premier League survival for the club. Everton finished in 16th place after a 5-1 defeat at Arsenal on the final day where Gray was part of a much-changed team. Gray was frustrated at the club’s end to the season but reflected on an intense final month.
“We were disappointed to lose how we did against Arsenal,” Gray told evertonfc.com. “But Thursday was a big night for the club and we needed that result. The past month has been a lot mentally for us all and a lot for the club. The most important thing was survival and we achieved that.
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“We have a lot of improving to do, we are not just going to come back in and think we’ll automatically have a better season. There is work to be done, the manager has made that clear. It was not the best way to finish, but the lads worked really hard over the past month to stay in the league.
“We will have a break and come back fresh minded, ready to make sure we’re not in that position [fighting to avoid drop] again.”
Everton have struggled with injuries and absentees throughout the campaign. This was again the case on Sunday as Richarlison missed out, along with injury prone pair Fabian Delph and Yerry Mina. Furthermore, senior figures such as Seamus Coleman and Jordan Pickford were given a well deserved rest. And Gray was keen to point out that this was not an excuse but remained focused on the wider goals of the team.
He said: “A key goalscorer [Richarlison] not being there makes a difference. We have been unfortunate with injuries this season, but regardless of who is fit, we are better than we showed at Arsenal. There is no excuse for the result.
“We’d have liked to take something from the game and getting back to 2-1 was an opportunity, but we conceded from a set-piece and they ran away with it. But it is not one to worry about too much, we have to focus on the bigger picture.”
For Gray, he is looking forward to a well-deserved break after a breathless first season at Goodison Park and believes he can offer more to Frank Lampard's team next year.
He said: “We can be happy [after securing survival], switch off from football for a bit and prepare for next season. It has been hard for everyone involved… we are glad it’s over. We can breathe a bit and try to enjoy our summers and spending time with family.
“It has been difficult with the circumstances, but an okay season for me. I started well, but didn’t finish as well as I wanted, personally. There are a lot of positives for me to take, though, personal stats I’ve improved on massively, and I have to build on those for next season.”
