Everton season preview & transfer news: Should Carlo Ancelotti really be pushing for yet another summer of spending?
With Everton poised to splash the cash for a fifth successive summer, Joe Townsend asks why the perennial underachievers aren't learning their lesson.
If you have the time or the inclination to flick through the latest Transfer Window Specials, you'll find Everton are near enough omnipresent.
While it makes sense for the so called 'Big Six' - given their prestige, ability to offer European football and elevated resources - to be magnets for transfer speculation, the Toffees' place in the rumour mill shouldn't be considered flattering.
Their constant links to players is a sad indictment of what Everton have become over the past five years.
Thrifty contenders to wasteful also-rans
Between 2006 and 2014, Everton were a constant in the Premier League's top seven, only once failing to finish that high and even then they were eighth.
They haven't been back in the top seven since, and on three occasions haven't even managed to make the top half.
Yet the money that's been thrown at the squad is eye-watering.
During that quoted eight-year period, Marouane Fellaini's 2008 arrival from Standard Liege was the only signing to cost £15m or more - and he was later sold to Manchester United for almost twice that fee.
In total, the net spend was just £6m.
And then, everything changed.
What began with the club record £28m signing of Romelu Lukaku, and recruitment of high-earning trio Gareth Barry, Samuel Eto'o and Tom Cleverley truly accelerated when billionaire Farhad Moshiri completed his takeover in January 2015.
Since when, a further 14 players have cost £15m or more, with the Toffees splashing out a total of £415m on new players.
A net spend of £235m. And for what? Utter mediocrity.
It would seem thrifty, stable, over-achieving Everton are a thing of the past, replaced by the polar opposite.
Everton's £20m+ signings since 2015
- Theo Walcott (£20m), Yannick Bolasie, Jean-Philippe Gbamin (both £25m)
- Michael Keane, Moise Kean, Davy Klaasen, Morgan Schneiderlin (all £25m)
- Cenk Tosun (£27m), Yerry Mina (£28m), Jordan Pickford (£30m)
- Alex Iwobi (£34m), Gylfi Sigurdsson (£45m), Richarlison (£52m)
Managerial merry-go-round
It does have to be pointed out that for all but the final campaign of the successful eight-year period that I've referenced, David Moyes was in charge. Without doubt, stability helps any football club.
Which comes first though, the success or the stability? I don't think Moshiri quite knows yet.
The 2013/14 campaign, Roberto Martinez's maiden one, yielded a fifth-placed finish. But two seasons of mid-table and the arrival a millions of pounds into the club via a new sugardaddy saw him sent on his merry way.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Carlo Ancelotti is the fourth permanent manager since Moshiri's takeover in January 2016, with the Iranian trying something a little different each time. The current effort being his most lavish - one of the biggest managerial names on the planet.
While each sacking was being demanded by the Goodison faithful, most have been made to look a little daft with hindsight.
Martinez has done wonders as Belgium head coach, Ronald Koeman is now Barcelona boss, Sam Allardyce is the only manager to have clinched a top-eight finish since 2014 and never even got a full season, while Marco Silva... well OK but it's one out of four.
Maybe, stick with a coach, rather than constantly change the players?
That doesn't look likely.
The players Everton are backed to sign
Back to my earlier point about Everton being linked to a whole host of players: Joshua King (10/3), Diogo Dalot (4/1), Samuel Umtiti (5/1), Tyrone Mings (12/1) - you get the picture.
And trust me, that's by no means an exhaustive list.
Now to the midfield trio that look near enough certain to arrive at Goodison, and probably have Toffees fans pretty excited.
I'm sure that's especially the case with James Rodriguez, a player who lit up the 2014 World Cup in Brazil - yes 2014. More than six years ago.
That summer he joined Real Madrid from Monaco for £71m and the 29-year-old's career has stagnated ever since.
That's not say he won't enjoy a renaissance by working under Ancelotti for a third time, having previously done so at Madrid and Bayern.
👀 James Rodriguez still well fancied to join Everton
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) August 31, 2020
📽 A look at what he'd bring to Goodison...#EFC #Transfers pic.twitter.com/Mcc2ksM8bM
Napoli midfielder Allan is another player whose next birthday will see him celebrate three decades. Watford's Abdoulaye Doucoure then, is something of a spring chicken at 27.
I don't want this to turn into some kind of ageist piece, it has little to do with that, and everything to do with Everton's short-termist, revolving door policy.
The relevance of the age is where these players fit into the club's long-term future. They probably don't.
Ancelotti is reportedly unhappy at the slowness of Everton's summer transfer activity, but it looks as if that is about to change in an instant with three quickfire arrivals.
I actually thought a quiet summer might be a good thing for the club given the tumultuous few years they've had.
What do I know.
Everton season odds
While the deal for Allan will arguably fill a gap left by Idrissa Gueye's exit last summer, what about Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin? Isn't that what a collective £35m - more than they received from PSG for Gueye - was shelled out on those two for?
To make way for Doucoure, then Andre Gomes, Tom Davies and Gylfi Sigurdsson must be potential departures hot on the heels of Morgan Schneiderlin.
Bernard, Alex Iwobi, Richarlison and Anthony Gordon are the players who could be considered to be already competing for the role Rodriguez will be expected to fill.
Everton have shown us over the years though that it's not the names you bring in, or the fees you pay, it's how you use them.
Of course the hope will be that everything comes together, Allan, Doucoure and Rodriguez fire and the Toffees perform like Leicester did last season - except they finish it off.
But even if this is another campaign of mid-table mediocrity, Ancelotti has to be given the space and time to build his team or they'll be back to square one yet again.
I suppose it's never dull at Everton these days, but thus far it's never successful either.
Ancelotti has a big job on his hands.
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