There will be two parallel summer obsessions at Everton this year.
The first will be focused on the ongoing machinations in the boardroom, where MSP Sports Capital are understood to be “close” to agreeing a capital injection of £100m in the form of a loan to help fund the stadium project at Bramley-Moore Dock.
For that they would receive a 25 per cent stake in the club and two board seats, with the anticipated exit of Bill Kenwright and Denise Barrett-Baxendale ushering in a much-needed new era at Everton and partially lifting the cloud of toxicity over the club.
i understands that, having been granted exclusivity by majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, MSP Sports Capital’s deal could be wrapped up in as little as a fortnight – and with that would come some much needed clarity about the future direction of the club.
The second will revolve around the high-wire act that Sean Dyche faces when it comes to recruitment.
That the club needs an overhaul of personnel is not up for debate. Successive relegation battles have dragged Everton to a crossroads.
The club may have declined to make his loan deal permanent but Conor Coady, who spent last season on loan at Goodison Park, was absolutely correct when he said on BBC Radio on Monday that the time for “putting a sticking plaster” over the club’s issues was over.
Dyche agrees. He is an advocate of the “massive reset” Coady said was necessary and wants to recreate a tougher Everton that is capable of meeting the challenges of a Premier League season. The idea is to give the club a new identity based on power, intensity and pace.
It all sounds straightforward enough. But the club’s budget is uncertain, probably dependent on what happens off the pitch and ultimately hampered by the Financial Fair Play concerns that continue to linger.
An independent commission will hear the Premier League’s case that the club breached FFP rules at some point in the future and that means deals might have to be structured creatively, with similar “buy now, pay later” terms that they negotiated for Dwight McNeil and Amadou Onana.
So this is a close season like no other for Dyche and director of football Kevin Thelwell, who must work shrewdly and decisively to strengthen Everton’s hand next season.
Thelwell has worked diligently behind the scenes, driving extensive recruitment in backroom roles that will eventually give Everton more of a joined up approach to coaching and Academy pathways. But he has found his work on transfers and manager succession plans frustrated by the disjointed way the club works.
He was criticised in some quarters for Everton’s dire January but his role in the Dyche appointment is a case in point. Thelwell had an extensive file on who would fit the club’s profile if they needed to replace Frank Lampard but that was ignored in favour of an owner-led chase for Marcelo Bielsa, whose precise demands made him hardly the right cultural fit for the club.
So more clarity over who is making the recruitment calls is needed this summer. Dyche’s influence will be key and they must move faster too. Lampard’s biggest gripe, which was kept in-house last summer, was the time it took Everton to complete deals.
i understands the club are pitching for at least two new strikers and are targeting full-backs, even if new terms are likely to be offered to club captain Seamus Coleman. Dyche is unlikely to forget anytime soon that he navigated the final day decider without a specialist forward, left-back or right-back.
The loan market is likely to be a key part of their approach, while free agents are expected to feature. Former Celtic and Fulham striker Moussa Dembele, without a club after leaving Lyon, is a player of interest.
Tammy Abraham, who i revealed was the subject of an enquiry from Everton in January, is perhaps the marquee signing the club craves. But finances and a plethora of options for the England man mean the club will need to explore alternative options.
Aiming high but staying realistic: that is the exacting remit for Everton as they begin a crucial close season.
Who Everton could sign this summer
i commissioned data experts SciSports, who work on recruitment and data analysis with Ajax, Ligue 1 overachievers Stade Reims and Sheffield United among others, to pick the best options in key areas within the club’s tight budget.
SciSports’ Yash Shah used the company’s performance metrics and AI-powered transfer valuation tool to pick players whose value coalesces around the £10m mark.
Centre-back
- Jeremiah St Juste (Sporting): Pacey centre-back would add athleticism that will be missed with Yerry Mina’s departure
- Unai Nunez (Athletic Bilbao): Dream capture but SciSports’ model reckons he is attainable given age and contractual status
- Lucas Martínez Quarta (Fiorentina): Right-footed centre-back has the physical presence to make an impact in the Premier League and would cost around £9m
Right-back
- Ferdi Kadioglu (Fenerbahce): 23-year-old Turkey international has been linked with Newcastle and Napoli
- Ben Johnson (West Ham): Former highly-rated prospect is available for the right price. i understands there is interest
Forwards
- Sheraldo Becker (Union Berlin): Winger has just enjoyed his best season in the Bundesliga. Can play as a forward too, which would appeal
- Mehdi Taremi (Porto): Iran striker scored 22 goals in Portugal last season and twice against England at the World Cup
- Chuba Akpom (Middlesbrough): Championship forward is in the final year of his contract after hitting 26 goals last year
- Viktor Gyokeres (Coventry): Long-term Everton interest in the Sweden striker, who is much-coveted. Coventry may sell after their play-off disappointment
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