A recent report coming out of Hill Dickinson Stadium suggests that Everton are more than happy to let the search for a starting (and reserve) right back linger into the summer as the club seeks out the "ideal candidate to fill" the position.
As we've outlined here over and over, there is no shortage of players that Everton purportedly have their eye on this summer, the question is whether the combination of price, age, and the player's willingness to join will match up.
And now this recent report, which seems to have originated with Mark Douglas at iPaper Sport, is making the already tenuous situation feel all the more so.
To be clear, this doesn't mean that Everton should just buy any old right back in order to avoid making the fanbase angrier. On one level, they should find the "ideal" player, especially if they hope to find someone to man the position for the next 5+ seasons.
But the news does read like a team that isn't prioritizing the position once again, like an organization that feels comfortable running Merlin Rohl and Jake O'Brien out there this season if nothing to their liking comes along.
And that just can't be what happens.
David Moyes and his transfer committee must come to a consensus on who they want. They must do the work to convince the player to come, selling them on the plan to build the squad and push for Europe. They must pay for quality, even if they feel a little squeezed, while also not getting taken advantage of because of the market.
That doesn't mean the Toffees need to be shopping at the top of the market. But there are plenty of quality options out there who would immediately improve this side. No player is going to be perfect, but Everton must find a player who can do the job, while still having room to improve along the way.
If Everton truly have dreams of pushing for Europe, either next season or in the near future, the build toward that has to start now. Punting on the right back position while considering more depth in the midfield and at striker would be a mistake.
And it's an error that the club cannot afford to make.
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