Can Benitez get a better tune out of Everton players

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There are some players I think should be shipped out in particular Bernard, Moise Kean, Cenk Tosun, and Gylfi Sigurdsson. And there are three others who I would consider for the exit door if decent money came in for them; Mason Holgate, Andre Gomes and Alex Iwobi. But they might be players Benitez thinks he can significantly improve.

Holgate was a disaster in the run-in to last season’s conclusion. He had some terrible games particularly that awful performance against Aston Villa.

The Everton youth team product had shown some promise in recent campaigns and hinted that perhaps he could become a genuine Premier League calibre defender. But he went backwards again last season and seems to have real problems combining his obvious physical ability with a mature head and adequate football intelligence. Can Benitez find the key to reviving his career?

Gomes has been a pale shadow of the player who had been in fitful decline for a while and who had also never been the same since his injury against Tottenham in November 2019.

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It may not be possible for anyone to revive the Portuguese, but as I’ve previously suggested perhaps he can thrive again playing that deeper midfield role alongside a ball-winning dynamo as he did for a time with Idrissa Gueye. That role would also fit as Benitez has often used a 4-2-3-1 formation.

The other big question is Iwobi. I know many Evertonians have had enough of him and I would agree it’s hard not to want shot of him, after all it’s not as if he hasn’t had plenty of chances! But is it possible Benitez can find a way to get something out of the ex-Arsenal youth product?

Iwobi has talent, he’s powerfully built and possesses the ability to carry the ball directly from midfield and commit defenders, which is something that Everton desperately need as an attacking option. Rumours of signing Matheus Nunes continue so perhaps he will solve this issue.

There were a few moments last season when Iwobi appeared to be finding his feet at last, especially when he was playing as a wing-back on the right hand side.

However, he’s so often flattered to deceive that it seems unlikely he will ever be a decent player for the Blues. The problem is who is going to pay anything close to the £30 million odd the Toffees forked out for him in 2019?

Well these are all tough questions and decisions for the new manager to deal with. But if he can’t spend big this summer then he may have no choice but to try and get much more out of some of the existing players in his squad. Given how often they have let down his predecessors, that will be some achievement!

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