Everton will continue to scour the free agent market after signing Ashley Young on a short-term deal that tells us much about the club’s safety first priorities this summer.
Former England international Young is set to sign a 12-month contract with the option of a further year at Goodison Park, turning down interest from Saudi Arabia, Premier League newcomers Luton Town and several Championship clubs to join Everton.
At 38 it is not a move with an eye on the future but the deal makes sense for Everton and Sean Dyche, who wants to pull together a squad next season that will not be hamstrung by the availability issues that threatened to relegate them last season.
Everton ended a bruising campaign without a recognised full-back or specialist striker due to injuries and an inability to sign players in January.
Dyche has resolved not to allow that to happen again, and signings this summer will be aimed at “rebalancing the squad”, a senior source told i.
A premium will be placed on players with reliable injury records and versatility is one of the characteristics that will be prized. The club know they cannot afford to gamble.
While Young is one of the Premier League’s elder statesmen, he also started 22 games for Aston Villa last season and can play either right-back or left-back, as well as filling in as a makeshift winger or wing-back if needed.
Also the finances work for a club that needs to sell to buy, with most of the summer funds being saved to fill the club’s urgent need for at least one frontline striker.
i understands that further free agent signings will be considered with the club “spinning plates” to try and duck under restrictions under Financial Fair Play that are likely to limit the scope of their spending for at least another year. They are one of several clubs with an interest in former Celtic and Lyon forward Moussa Dembele.
Leeds United duo Rodrigo and Wilfried Gnonto are both on Everton’s radar, although reports of a fee being agreed for the latter is understood to be inaccurate at this stage. There is firm interest in the Italy international but Leeds are keen to keep hold of him and their valuation might rule the Toffees out unless further sales are brokered by the club.
Everton sold Ellis Simms to Coventry for an initial payment of £3.5m while Ishe Samuels-Smith moved to Chelsea for £4m. But the club are open to offers for other players, with Demarai Gray in talks with Al-Hilal and interest in midfielder Amadou Onana, who may be sold for the right price.
It sums up the issue for Dyche and Everton, who are counting the cost of years of expensive recruitment mistakes. Putting together a squad good enough to move the club away from the annual relegation battles that have drained fans of optimism will be a challenge and shrewd, short-term additions will be key.
Loan moves are also being looked at but the club know that the best options will not be made available until later in the summer.
In the meantime, Dyche is working on fitness and conditioning with his players in their pre-season training camp in Switzerland.
As you would expect from a man who quipped that he had “kept up worst squads” when he initially got the job, he seems unfazed by the challenge.
“I’ve always said, it’s not as easy as people think,” he said ahead of the Young announcement.
“It’s not just finance but aligning all the deals and all the people involved. It does take a lot of work but there’s a lot of that going on behind the scenes.
“There always has been, to be fair, but we can tell everyone everything what we’re trying to do so there is work being done.”
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