Transfer window priorities for Everton

On the last day of 2020 let’s consider what areas of the Everton team and squad should be the focus of any January transfer window activity.

Everton had an excellent summer window acquiring three top-quality and high-profile signings as Carlo Ancelotti brought in James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure. Then on deadline day the club added a backup goalkeeper in Robin Olsen and young English defender Ben Godfrey.

All these players have bedded in really well and several have been playing exceptionally. They have all significantly strengthened the Toffees’ first-team and squad depth.

However, there have been games where the quality of the other squad members has been called into question and injuries have also exposed a lack of options in certain positions. So will the club dip into next month’s transfer window?

The January window isn’t generally a great time for making big moves although that does happen sometimes. The last time the Blues’ spent big in January was when Sam Allardyce was in charge back in 2018.

Then he brought in Theo Walcott and Cenk Tosun. Neither signing has been a success. Walcott has now gone out on loan at Southampton and Tosun is the subject of regular rumours of a move away, possibly in this new year window. Of course Allardyce is not Ancelotti!

Looking at the team now, if the club do decide to spend in January there are several positions where there has been plenty of speculation that Everton need to improve in the future.

One of those is right-back, a position that the Blues’ were supposedly looking to strengthen in the summer with links to a number of players. This was because of doubts about the fitness and long-term future of Seamus Coleman and the ability of Jonjo Kenny to succeed him.

Coleman though was back to his best at the start of the season and was playing exceptionally well in the first month or so, while also forming a good understanding with Rodriguez.

He’s since been plagued again by injuries and that has reignited speculation about who might replace him. Recently though Carlo Ancelotti has been playing Mason Holgate in that position and it’s worked pretty well.

Using Holgate as a right-back might not be a long-term solution but I think that with him and a returning Coleman, now fit again, the Toffees’ have enough cover there at least until the summer.