Everton: Breaking down the 27-man Europa League squad

Everton have submitted their squad for the Europa League group stages. We look at which players stand out most on the list.

What makes an injured player eligible to be included in a team’s squad for the Europa League? This seems like a fair question to ask, in light of the 27-man squad submitted by Everton on Tuesday.

Consider the inclusions of Seamus Coleman and Ross Barkley who are not expected back until around December time. Meanwhile, Yannick Bolaise has been left out, despite the likelihood of him returning sooner (some time in October).

These decisions become even more interesting, when considering the Blues’ group stage fixture dates. Taking the provisional return dates for the trio into account, Bolasie would have theoretically been available for four of the six games, while Coleman and Barkley will be back for just two.

So what gives? There’s no way of knowing for sure, at least until someone asks Ronald Koeman directly, but it could allude to the Everton manager’s priorities.

More specifically, maybe Koeman doesn’t consider Europe as important at this stage, despite it offering a second opportunity to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Regardless, Bolasie will be eligible to be added to the squad after the group stage – assuming the Blues advance of course.

We won’t say much more about Barkely’s inclusion. However, as with his addition to the 25-man squad for the Premier League, it shouldn’t actually be considered too much of a surprise.

Moving on, there are a lot of rules to consider, which help explain why certain players were included in the squad. As per STV News, clubs can have a maximum of 25 players on their primary list, which is referred to as List A.

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In this list, eight places must be taken by home-grown players, leaving a maximum of 17 players who have no restrictions per se. As a final note, at least two of the 25 players must be goalkeepers, although if either gets injured, they can be temporarily replaced.

As for List B, this is exclusively for younger players — 21 or younger on Jan. 1 2018 — with clubs allowed to submit as many names as they like. In addition, players can be added or removed at any stage of the season, as long as it is before 11 pm GMT on the day before any game.

Moving on, other interesting names on the 27-man list include Callum Connolly, who is currently on loan with Ipswich Town. Kevin Mirallas is also named, despite recent concerns about his attitude.

Overall, the majority of the names in Everton’s squad make sense, with others coming almost out of necessity, e.g. to provide depth. We’ll get a first look at how they do in Europe next Thursday, when they travel to Italy to take on Atalanta.

Next: Blues interested in Han Kwan-Song

What was your take on the announcement of Everton’s 27-man squad? Did any of the players included surprise or disappoint you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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