With just over a week until the transfer window closes, Everton are a club in turmoil. Reeling from 2 consecutive defeats without scoring, the Toffees are still attempting to add goals. Promised new investment and a new board are yet to materialise and hope seems to be in short supply around Goodison.
New season, same problems
Writing for Sky Sports, Alan Myers neatly sums up our current malaise saying “The same issues that appeared to be dragging the club downwards in recent years remain, there may have been a few shavings off the end but there still remains the need for a clean cut.”
Everton have entered each of the last three seasons with question marks over the fitness of Dominic Calvert Lewin and further question marks over who can back up his goal scoring ability. This is also the third season in a row where the club have seemingly reaped what they’ve sowed with regards to years of overspending. The consequence being severelty restricted activity in the transfer market. This is a level of incompetence at the leadership level that is bound to impact the culture around the club on and off the field.
Reasons to be cheerful?
The tempation among Blues is to plan for another season circling the drain. Particularly given the hearing in October regarding the club’s compliance with Premier League profit and sustainability rules. However, I’ve spent the last few days desperately groping for positivity and managed to come up with three slivers of hope to cling to.
- Lewis Dobbin: Whilst we are used to watching academy products punted around on loan and then given 2 minutes to impress, Dobbin seems to be bucking the trend. The 20 year old seems to be determined to grasp any opportunity given to him. He was also the only player singled out for any sort of praise by the manager on Sunday after a lively 45 minutes.
- Lessons Learned? One of the keys to our survival last year was Sean Dyche’s belated realisation that Michael Keane’s errors under pressure consistently cost us points. After another performance best viewed through your fingers, it is to be hoped that the manager decides to give Jarrad Branthwaite his chance after an excellent loan with PSV.
- Reinforcements inbound: I’m really stretching now, given our recent history. However, surely the hierarchy at the club will get something over line in the coming days to address the lack of cutting edge in the attack. I never thought I’d be clamouring for Che Adams a week into the season but here we are.