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Recent defeats show Everton face another big summer

By Matt Townsend

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: Erik Pieters of Burnley battles for possession with Alex Iwobi of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and Burnley at Goodison Park on March 13, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Peter Powell - Pool/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: Erik Pieters of Burnley battles for possession with Alex Iwobi of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and Burnley at Goodison Park on March 13, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Peter Powell - Pool/Getty Images) /
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After a recent period in which Everton have lost vital ground in their pursuit of European football with damaging defeats to Chelsea and Burnley and were knocked out of the FA Cup, there are still major question marks about the quality of this squad.

So after those results have set the season back, it seems as though yet again Everton and manager Carlo Ancelotti face a big summer transfer window as the seemingly never-ending rebuild at Goodison Park continues.

Last summer was the first major transfer window for new manager Ancelotti after his arrival in December 2019 and it was vitally important that he was given enough money and support to get the sort of players in that he needed.

In particular he had to strengthen the midfield by adding players with more pace. energy and defensive ability and if possible improve the quality of the Toffees attack.

Well he pretty much did all that signing midfielders Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure and also superstar forward James Rodriguez. He also brought in young defender Ben Godfrey and goalkeeper Robin Olsen on deadline day to strengthen the defence.

All these players have made a solid contribution to the Blues team this season, in particular Doucoure and Godfrey who have both been outstanding. Allan and Rodriguez were also excellent early on but have had their impact undermined by injuries, especially in Rodriguez’s case.

But while there’s been a marked improvement in the quality of the squad and results have been better especially away from home, the last couple of weeks have underlined how far Everton still are from being genuinly competitive with the best teams in the country.

In particular the defeats at Goodison to Leeds, West Ham, Newcastle, Fulham and Burnley have been very costly and have raised serious concerns about this group of players.

Too many still seem to be either not good enough or unable to consistently produce their best and at times they almost appear to be coasting in matches.

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There are also questions about the tactics being used and whether the Toffees can find the right balance between defensive solidity and attack with this set of players.

As usual with Everton it seems that it’s two steps forward, one step back and this team still appears to be a long way from winning a trophy.

Anyway it seems clear a number of them should be moved on this summer and replaced and I imagine Ancelotti and Marcel Brands will want to prioritise this before making any more big additions.

A number of positions in this team need major strengthening as we’ve mentioned many times before: right fullback, central midfield and up front are the most pressing.

Whatever they do decide about trimming the squad further and adding more new players it looks like we’re in for another important summer this year.

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