Everton must get moving in market

As the summer transfer window continues, Everton are once again being linked with dozens of moves for a huge variety of different players but without actually appearing to make concrete moves to sign anyone.

I’ve said before, I think one of the problems Everton have had in past transfer windows, is that the club have tended to move very slowly to sign new players and then seem to be in a panic to bring in bodies, just before the window closes.

This leads to signing players very late in the day often with literally hours or even minutes left of the window on deadline day itself.

It also means the club tend to pay over the odds for those players and in addition those new players have very little time to integrate into their new team before the season begins.

This never really seems a good approach to your transfer strategy, as the whole Wifried Zaha sage last summer seemed to underline.

The Blues were supposed to be pursuing the Crystal Palace winger although after apparently making an initial bid, the club denied being interested in his signing when Palace wouldn’t budge on their hugely inflated fee.

Whatever the truth in this case, it did appear that the club were seeking the player, or someone like him and then almost as an afterthought, eventually signed Alex Iwobi on deadline day.

Well it’s happening again, or certainly appears to be, as the Toffees are once again making little early running while other clubs move quickly to try and secure the talent they want.

With so little time between the end of last season and then the start of the 2020-21 campaign on 12 September, I feel it’s more important than ever to get players in as soon as possible to give them and their new team mates enough time to integrate ready for such a crucial season.

Maybe I’m making more of this than necessary. I’ts quite possible a lot is going on behind the scenes that we’re not aware of yet. Let’s hope so.

However, there are also now rumours on the internet that Director of Football Marcel Brands and manager Carlo Ancelotti are at loggerheads with each other over transfer targets.

I don’t know if this is actually the case. I would hope not, because it wouldn’t seem to be helpful or likely to make the club’s transfer market policy more effective.

Well if it is, then I think ultimately Ancelotti’s opinions must be the ones that prevail, especially given the fact that Everton have only six months ago brought the Italian in for a massive amount of money and given him a three and a half year contract.

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I had hoped that Brands appointment in 2018 would herald a change for the better in the Blues transfer policy after so many failed windows.

He has in fact secured several very good players for Everton; Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes and Richarlison (although Marco Silva was probably equally instrumental in his signing).

But there have also been a number of other signings that have mostly been mediocre at best, such as the above mentioned Iwobi, Yerry Mina and Moise Kean.

So given all that and Ancelotti’s huge experience and glittering track record, I feel most Evertonians would agree that his position and those players he has identified, should be the targets the Toffees pursue.

Whatever happens regarding this issue, and although haste isn’t a virtue in it’s own right, I hope Everton will get moving soon and make the signings the team need.