Everton announced Rafael Benitez as the new manager after Carlo Ancelotti left the Goodison dugout on June 1. Yes, Rafa Benitez has managed Everton’s arch rivals, Liverpool, and guided them to continental success.
A faction of Everton supporters will never agree with this appointment and would even despise the Spaniard but in the grander scheme of things, it’s the beloved club that people have to get behind and not the manager.
The ardent Everton fans will continue to love and support the club, experience the making of history or breaking of the legacy, live out the highs and lows but what will remain is their unquestionable loyalty and unwavering support.
Questions keep on unfurling in the mind. Will Rafa Benitez make Everton play some courageous football or will he stick to his pragmatic approach? Is he at Everton just to fill his pockets and spend a gala time or is he here to actually guide Everton to a top six finish? Does he still have it in him to take a team to the zenith? The whirlwind of questions will continue to arise but unfortunately, nobody knows the answer. Only time will tell.
But, for the time being, Benitez means business and will need to strengthen the side which has many deficiencies. The right side needs major surgery, while there is room for reinforcements even in the middle of the park.
If Rafa Benitez was a chef in Merseyside, he’d be looking to cook the perfect scouse. A strong meat base with a mixture of diced vegetables along with flavourful seasoning makes a palatable dish.
When it comes to a football side, each team needs a strong core, along with the right combination of youthful exuberance and reliable experience. There needs to be exciting players in the team to add spice and create moments that can be etched in the memories of the fans for years.
Rafa Benitez needs to make several amends to the team if he is to bring the best out of the squad. In order to achieve that, he not only needs to bring new players in but also offload players who offer little quality or are incompatible with his system. Everton’s ambitions of reaching Europe can only come to fruition if the squad is competent enough to extract results throughout the season. Mediocrity won’t bring the desired victories and results.
Here are five Everton players Rafa Benitez needs to offload this summer:
1. Bernard
Bernard arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018 on a free transfer. Since joining the Toffees, the diminutive attacker has enjoyed little success at Goodison Park. For the majority of his Everton career, Bernard has played second fiddle to players offering superior qualities. Despite offering versatility by playing on the wings and behind the striker, Bernard struggled to combat the Premier League’s physicality.
His agility and dribbling aids him in evading the defenders but the lack of physical solidity is where he loses his money. He’s played under three different managers at Goodison Park and under none he has completely asserted his quality. In 84 games for the Royal Blues, Bernard has just managed 8 goals and 7 assists, which are not convincing numbers for an attacker.
Under Carlo Ancelotti, Bernard was just a rotational option, making substitute appearances. Last season, the Brazilian started just five games in all competitions and making a total of 18 appearances.
The 28 year old was also close to leaving Everton, joining Al Nasr in January but a deal fell through. Everton want to upgrade their wide options and have been linked to several wingers. Everton will make a sure shot profit on Bernard’s sale as he arrived for free. What’s more important is that the Toffees will also lighten the wage budget by getting rid of Bernard’s £120,000 per week wages.
Now that Everton have been linked to a number of wingers like Andros Townsend, Demarai Gray, Leon Bailey and a few others, Bernard is likely to leave the club as Rafa Benitez aims to bolster the wide options.
2. Jonjoe Kenny
Everton have been hunting for a new right back since last season. Seamus Coleman has duly served as a player and a captain for years and now it’s time to look for his successor. Age waits for no man and at 32; the Irishman isn’t getting younger and fitter. Everton academy product Jonjoe Kenny was considered as a possible successor but he’s flattered to deceive.
Kenny came back from a notable loan spell at Schalke, excelling as a player, which prompted the question: could he be the heir to Coleman’s throne? Sadly, Kenny never provided enough evidence to support the claim and was eventually shipped out on loan to Celtic in January. Kenny was able to showcase his talent in Glasgow, providing flair in attack while also remaining defensively stable but whether he could do it in the Premier League is a question that will remain in the minds of the club board and the fans.
Kenny has returned from loan but Everton looking for other right backs is an indication that the 24 year old isn’t a trusted option in the squad. Most recently, PSV’s Denzel Dumfries has been linked with the Merseysiders but he also has admirers in Inter Milan who are looking for an Achraf Hakimi replacement.
Kenny has a contract till 2022 and this summer might be the best time to cash in on him or use him as a paper weight in some other deal. Kenny’s market value is £5.2 million (Transfermarkt) and considering he has just 12 months left on the deal, the Toffees could not expect a sum greater than this.
3. Fabian Delph
Fabian Delph was signed from Manchester City for £8.5 million plus add ons in 2019. Marco Silva wanted to sign a midfielder who can be the leader in the engine room and given that Delph had won two back to back Premier League titles with City, he could help instill a champion mentality in the side while helping the young stars in the team.
However, it’s not how the move worked out. The Englishman has had one of the worst injury spells of his career and has struggled to be a part of the Everton team for an extended period. Delph has been out for such long periods that it was no longer noticeable that he wasn’t even a part of the squad.
In his two seasons at Goodison Park, the 31 year old has missed 39 games due to injuries, amounting to 291 days of missed action over two years. Ironically, Delph has missed more games as an Everton player than he’s been a part of, playing just 30 games since signing for the Toffees.
Fitness issues and niggles have miserably plagued Delph’s Everton career and it appears that the time has run out to revive his form and salvage something in Merseyside. Last season, the Toffees signed Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, who sparkled in their respective roles and added much needed energy to the midfield.
Tom Davies’ metamorphosis under Ancelotti was spectacular, stepping in Allan’s role when the Brazilian was out due to hamstring injury, which saw the 23 year old earn the title of ‘Scouse Pirlo’.
Now that Jean-Philippe Gbamin is finally fit and is eager to show the Toffee fans his abilities, Delph’s time seems to be coming to an end at Goodison Park. The vocal Delph who was did an excellent job while playing as a makeshift left back for Pep Guardiola now seems a distant memory.
While Allan and Doucoure remain the best central midfielders in the team, Gbamin and Davies will be ahead of the Yorkshireman in the pecking order, raising serious questions over his playing time. With his deal expiring in 2022, parting ways this season could be the best outcome for all parties involved.
Everton may receive at least some sum of money and Delph could turn the Everton page and start afresh elsewhere.
4. Andre Gomes
Andre Gomes first arrived at Everton on loan from Barcelona. In his first season, the Portuguese was able to revive his tarnished image of being a technically adept midfielder. At Barcelona, Gomes struggled which saw his stock drop but his impressive performances at Everton gave a glimmer of hope that the midfielder would excel in England.
Gomes was signed permanently following the end of his loan spell but since the horrific ankle injury suffered in 2019, the 27 year old has never really hit the upper levels may be because the ghastly images of the injury still haunt him to date.
He has been inconsistent and often looked too slow on the ball. It was thought that the arrival of Allan and Doucoure would free Gomes to wander forward and produce his best play in the opposition half but that has not been the case. Last season, there have been a few games where he has looked flawless but that kind of performances have been as rare as Haley’s comet.
With talk surrounding a possible transfer of Matheus Nunes to Everton and the return of Gbamin will make the midfield more competitive. There have been reports stating that Rafa Benitez wants to sell Gomes who earns over £100,000 per week in wages.
5. Yerry Mina
Yerry Mina is another player who certainly isn’t in Benitez’s favourite list. At least, it seems so. Reports have indicated that the Spaniard doesn’t trust Mina and hence he’s looking for a centre back. The names of Clement Lenglet and Kalidou Koulibaly have been circulating around as Rafa Rafa Benitez searches for a leader in defence.
Mina, on his day, is an aggressive, brave and aerially strong defender. But sadly, Mina’s injury struggles have restricted him to perform to his fullest of abilities. The Colombian played 24 games last season and was an important part of the team for Ancelotti.
Ancelotti’s successor, Benitez, doesn’t seem too keen to have Mina in his squad. If Mina is sold, the Toffees will be able to not only get a decent sum of money but also free up the wages and lighten the wage budget. Rafa Benitez has asserted his stance that the club will look for ambitious moves but will have to be aware of the financial restrictions and the FFP policies.
In such case, player sales will be very important in boosting the transfer budget further allowing Rafa Benitez to look for bigger targets. Mina’s market value is £18 million (Transfermarkt) and has a running contract till 2023, putting Everton in a comfortable place when it will come to negotiations as the Toffees wouldn’t be forced to lower Mina’s value. Getting the Colombian off the books will further free up £120,000 per week in the wage budget.
Probably, the former Napoli boss would also like to offload Cenk Tosun but to Everton’s disappointment, the Turk is recovering from an injury. Worse, he won’t be available until October, so finding a buyer for Tosun will be an extremely difficult task.
Offloading players is now inevitable as the Royal Blues are aware of the FFP restrictions and in order to sign new players, the deadwood and fringe players need to be shown the exit door.
Will these players leave Everton by the end of the transfer window?