Yerry Mina (left) and Andre Gomes (right) complete their moves from Barcelona to Everton (Photo credit: Evertonfc.com)
Last season:
Premier League: 8th
F.A. Cup: Third round (lost vs Liverpool)
Carabao Cup: Round of 16 (lost vs Chelsea)
Last summer, Everton’s overhaul did not go as intended. European ambitions turned into firefighting as Ronald Koeman was sacked and Sam Allardyce took charge. The Toffees will be hoping that take two goes much smoother.
New manager Marco Silva has been able to splash the cash in the hopes of breaking into the top six. Richarlison followed his former Watford boss to Merseyside and adds an extra dimension to a side which was often predictable last term with too many players in the same mould.
A Barcelona trio of Yerry Mina, Lucas Digne and Andre Gomes have arrived, the former duo will be tasked with making sure Everton ship less than the 58 goals shipped in 2017/18 season. Mina in particular could be a name to watch after his outstanding World Cup for Colombia in which he scored three goals. Wayne Rooney has left Everton for the second time, his second stint being questionable at best.
Everton’s pre-season began with a bang as they scored a record 22 goals in a freak victory over Australian side ATV Irdning. However, that would be as good as it got, Everton drew two and lost their other four friendly games and they conceded 12 goals in the process. That has gone largely undetected due to their lopsided opening result.
The squad has been heavily bolstered over the past three transfer windows, but the question is: what constitutes success? A top six finish is the target, with the goal ultimately to break into the top four, but the Everton board and Silva would also also like to see their spending rewarded with silverware. A possible cup run to Wembley would signify the start of a new era for the blue half of Merseyside.
Player to watch: Richarlison
Richarlison followed manager Marco Silva from Watford to Merseyside. (Photo credit: Evertonfc.com)
The 21-year-old dazzled in his early days in England but his red hot form soon tailed off as Watford took a tumble down the table. Richarlison offers something which Everton did not have last term until the January arrival of Theo Walcott – pace and power.
The Brazilian is not afraid to commit full-backs and drive down the line. Defenders feared the worst when faced with the former Watford man as he became the most fouled player in the Premier League last season. He is also not afraid to do the dirty work, battling with defenders for headers and working hard when out of possession. These qualities should endear him to the Everton faithful.
There are still questions over his attitude. Yet under Silva he seemed to perform at his best on a more consistent basis. With a Premier League season under his belt hopes are high that he can kick on and become more consistent – the overall better quality which surrounds him could also help.
A heft price-tag also follows the powerful forward. The fee could eventually rise to as much as £50 million, the market becomes more inflated with every passing window, but this is still relatively new money for Everton, if it is to be money squandered then the discontentment from could add to the pressure on Richarlison’s young shoulders.
Players in: Richarlison (Watford, £35m), Yerry Mina (Barcelona, £27m), Lucas Digne (Barcelona, £18m), Andre Gomes (Barcelona, loan), Bernard (Shakhtar Donetsk, free transfer). UPDATE: Kurt Zouma (Chelsea – loan).
Players out: Davy Klaassen (Werder Bremen, £12m), Ramiro Funes Mori (Villarreal, £8m), Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray, loan), Kevin Mirallas (Fiorentina, loan), Joel Robles (Real Betis, free transfer), Conor Grant (Plymouth Argyle, free transfer), Wayne Rooney (D.C. United, free transfer), Ashley Williams (Stoke City, loan), Luke Garbutt (Oxford United, loan), Shani Tarashaj (Grasshoppers, loan).
Predicted finish: 7th
