Everton: The Ellis Simms blueprint that will yield positive results in the future

Everton sent Ellis Simms on loan to Blackpool in the last January transfer window where the youngster excelled and returned as a much more refined player. The Toffees have adopted a similar approach for Nathan Broadhead, loaning him out to Sunderland at the beginning of the season.

Broadhead travelled to Florida with the first team as a part of the pre-season tour. The 23 year old impressed in the Florida Cup against Millonarios and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. The young Englishman moved with great aplomb, even winning a penalty which eventually took the game to penalties and helped the Toffees clinch the Florida Cup.

Broadhead had caught the eye of many and a loan move would have been the right path. The Toffees have a successful record of sending one of their young strikers to League One. Ellis Simms was shipped out on loan to Blackpool in January 2020 until the end of the season.

In 24 games he played for the Seasiders, the Englishman scored 10 goals and provided 2 assists. The Everton loanee helped Blackpool achieve promotion to the Championship but missed the Championship playoff final due to injury. Simms was the backbone of the attack and in his six month loan, the striker excelled leaps and bounds.

Everton have benefitted from such a blueprint of sending their young striker out on loan to one of the lower tiers of English football. The tried and tested method with Simms was applied again in the summer sending Broadhead to Sunderland.

Everton is following the Ellis Simms blueprint with Nathan Broadhead

The 23 year old is blossoming for the Black Cats, scoring six goals in 15 games for the League One side. After a tepid start, Broadhead gained pace and has been riding the momentum, netting five goals in last five League One games.

Had Broadhead remained at Everton, he would have played in the U-23 side and trained with the first team but first team chances would have been scarce despite the flurry of injuries. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Salomon Rondon are first team strikers whereas Simms and Lewis Dobbin are ready to fill in when anyone in the aforementioned trio is unavailable.

The loan gives Broadhead the opportunity to cut his teeth before he’s eventually thrown in the Premier League circus. It is the part of metamorphosis and Broadhead seems on schedule to pass it with flying colours.

Simms’ loan to Blackpool allowed him to fine-tune himself in English football and fast track his development process. The 20 year old made his first team debut against Chelsea. Broadhead could also get more involved in the first team dynamics next season, once he returns from his loan spell.

Perhaps, Dobbin could have also left on loan but his contract situation is barring Everton from loaning him out. If a new deal is signed, Dobbin could follow a similar trend and head out on loan to a League One/Championship side.

These experiences will help the strikers to improve better and make them ready for first team football sooner. Of course, loan deals can go wrong but that is a risk the club should be willing to take if the youngsters can’t be integrated into the first team.

Will Nathan Broadhead play for the first team next season?