Everton’s summer previewed. What do the club need to do in order for Everton to progress up the table?

The summer of 2020 was a substantial one for the club, the club managed to shift a large chunk of the deadwood such as Sandro Ramirez and Morgan Schnierderlin, whilst club legend Leighton Baines retired. Several players such as Cuco Martina and Oumar Niasse departed the club after their contract expired. This then allowed the club to challenge for their main targets. 2 central midfielders, a goalkeeper, a defender and a playmaker. The club confirmed the arrival of the young, french starlet Niels Nkounkou on a free transfer from Marseille, a player who could be key in the future of the club. They displayed an interest in Max Aarons and Zeki Celik, but those deal were not concrete. Deals for Gabriel and Højberg did not happen, despite pre-Covid a deal for Gabriel to come to the blues was agreed. This resulted in Everton signing Brazilian midfielder Allan from Napoli for a reported £25m fee. The Brazilian was signed in a flurry of deals, with Colombia and Real Madrid star James Rodriguez arriving on a free transfer. Abdoulaye Doucourè soon joined them from watford for £20m, a player who has shone throughout Carlo Ancelotti’s first full season. Deadline day was soon arriving, and the blues needed to sign a goalkeeper and a centre half. A deal for Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori was close to being agreed, until Frank Lampard pulled the plug, this then resulted in Everton pushing for Norwich defender Ben Godfrey. Godfrey signed on deadline day, which would prove to be very hectic for the toffees. 3 deals were all agreed, yet only 1 made it through. Personal terms were agreed for the permanent moves of Paulo Gazziniga and Sergio Romero, but both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur would not sell to the blues as they saw them as competition for top 6. The 3rd deal was a loan deal, Swedish international Robin Olsen joined the club on a season long loan deal from AS Roma, a deal which has both benefits and drawbacks. This resulted in the summer window being the best since Farhad Moshiri’s arrival to the club, there was a clear plan for what the club needed. January came around quickly, and the club focused more on departures rather than arrivals. Joshua Zirkee was close to a move to the blues, but ultimately he went to Parma as the offer of first team football was too hard to resist. Yannick Bolasie moved to Middlesbrough on loan, for me, this will be the end of his Everton career. Cenk Tosun, Beni Baningame and Jonjoe Kenny all departed on loan moves. The ending of the window saw Joshua King arrive after a hectic few hours, some reports saying he would play for Fulham, others for Everton. But ultimately, he joined Everton. This paves really way for a good summer window for the blues. So, what do the blues need in the summer window? In my opinion, the blues need to bring in a right back, a goalkeeper to cement themselves as the number 1 goalkeeper, another dynamic midfielder and a fast forward. I think the contract of Joshua King will be renewed, but Theo Walcott and Yannick Bolasie will not stay at the club. In the right back position, I think Everton will bring in Max Aarons. Recently, we got an update from Fabrizio Romano on the Englishman, he said that “Bayern Munich will not bid for Aarons, Everton want him and they are working on it, confirmed”. This brought delight to many blues, we have needed a right back for many years since Seamus Coleman received a double leg break on international duty. Aarons would be ideal for Everton, he fits what Marcel brands and Carlo Ancelotti look for. As a goalkeeper, Alex Meret and Juan Musso are 2 names that have been thrown around, both are very talented players and would cement themselves as the number 1 for the club. Musso is 26, and I think he would nail down the number 1 position for several years, whilst also providing good competition for Jordan Pickford. The dynamic midfielder is an interesting position, there are many midfielders who we could sign. From possible relegated clubs, Sander Berge, Andre Frank Zambo-Anguissa and Yves Bissouma are 3 possible midfielders who I think would make the club much better in the midfield position and add a lot of depth. Bissouma has arguably been Brighton’s best player behind highly rated wing-back Tariq Lamptey, and Anguissa has been Fulham’s best player when watching. Sander Berge is a player who I rate very highly, he is an extremely talented player. I think either of them 3 in the summer would add another dimension to the club. Finally, a fast-paced attacker. There are several options. Lucas Vazquez is a name that we are linked to nearly every summer, but I do not think we will sign him. David Neres is also a good player, but I don’t think he will be in royal blue next season. Leon Bailey is a name that many Everton fans are keen on, the Jamaican winger who is currently playing in Germany is a huge talent, and I would love to see him play under Carlo Ancelotti. He would be a key player for the club, and add an attacking dimension to the blues that they are currently lacking. 

Thank you for reading this piece, it has taken a while and I appreciate all feedback, please, let me know who you want in the summer!