Everton: What do the Toffees need to do in the transfer market?
Frank Lampard has a big rebuild job on his hands at Everton and Ninad Barbadikar assesses his task at hand as part of a new series where we look at the 21/22 season.
What was last season like for Everton?
After coming close to relegation from the Premier League last season, Frank Lampard has a monumental task to prepare his Everton side to improve and this summer will be key.
Last season was nothing short of disastrous for the Toffees. While the season began on a positive note with three wins from four, that momentum quickly evaporated during the season.
It was not until May that they managed to put together an unbeaten run of three games again, having lost three games or more in succession four times in the league before that.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin's absence was significant along with injuries to other key personnel like Yerry Mina, Tom Davies and Fabian Delph.
There you go... Everton have the most injuries, absences and highest incidence per 1k minutes played. https://t.co/1Sn1aoHLiS pic.twitter.com/c3kaVGzNcE
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) April 5, 2022
The constant injuries throughout the season did not help as Everton suffered more than most clubs in the Premier League last season.
As a result, Lampard never really got the chance to build momentum which then had a domino effect on results and performances.
If Everton and Lampard are to avoid another relegation scrap, however, then significant improvements are necessary.
Where are the problem areas for Everton?
The problems for Lampard and Everton are across the pitch. Starting with the defence, which must be first in the list of priorities for recruitment.
Last season, Everton's tally of 66 goals conceded was the fifth worst in the division, Watford conceded 77 and Norwich conceded 84. A bigger problem within the area of defending for Everton was their weakness in defending set-pieces.
According to data from Whoscored, Everton along with Leeds and Leicester had the worst defensive record from set-pieces, conceding 19 goals in 21/22.
Away from home, Everton's record made for a concerning read. Only Norwich had a worse away xGD than Everton's -17.3 overall. They also conceded the second most goals away from home, 41.
In a positive first step towards improving on those grim numbers, the signing of James Tarkowski represents a huge plus.
James Tarkowski's #PL ranking among defenders in 2021/22:
— Everton (@Everton) July 2, 2022
🥇 153 aerial duels (1st)
🥇 242 duels won (1st)
🥇 58 blocks (1st)
🥈 183 clearances (2nd)
🥈 101 headed clearances (2nd)
Rock solid. 💪 pic.twitter.com/myGa1Ahlnw
Tarkowski's availability will potentially be his biggest asset for Everton aside from his strengths as a defender.
The 29-year-old has managed to play 3,000 minutes or more in the Premier League for four seasons running and will look to shore up that Everton backline after a forgettable final season with Burnley.
He will likely partner either Ben Godfrey or Mason Holgate at the heart of the defence. With Tarkowski's experience and reliable style at the back, Jordan Pickford will expect to be less busy than he was last season.
He faced the fourth most shots in the division (169), only David de Dea, Kasper Schmeichel and Illan Meslier saw more.
Reinforcements needed in attack and midfield
Replacing Richarlison in that attack will be another big gap for Lampard to fill after the Brazilian completed a move to Spurs earlier in the window.
While his transfer did come with a significant fee, Everton must be cautious with their spending and learn from previous windows where they overpaid for players, leaving their finances in a precarious situation.
Coupling Richarlison's departure with that of Delph, Donny van de Beek, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Anwar El-Ghazi, there are a lot of profiles that need replacing in the squad.
Of the existing options in the midfield department, Allan is the only defensive midfielder at the club with all the other players either attacking midfielders or box-to-box midfielders.
Jean-Philippe Gbamin will get his chance to show Lampard what he's got but Everton would do well to assess their options in the market and bring in a younger midfielder who will eventually replace Allan.
The need for a quality signing in midfield is further underlined by the fact that Everton had the worst average possession for any team across the top five leagues, with 39.7% only.
Signings in midfield must be made with the idea of improving the team's ability to control games against teams of an equal standing in the table.
In Dele Alli and Alex Iwobi, they have two midfielders who could suit the three-man midfield which Lampard may choose to implement this season, with Alli pushing forward to support Calvert-Lewin in the penalty area.
Iwobi's performances were a particular highlight for Everton as he impressed at right-wing back as well and his versatility will be a bonus for Lampard going forward.
With Lucas Digne's move to Aston Villa, Everton are short-staffed in that left-back area and will need to identify a back-up for Vitaly Mykolenko, who will be the starter in this side.
Who should Everton look to sign this summer?
In attack, Everton have approached Chelsea and enquired about Armando Broja and he could be a useful signing for the Toffees to bolster their attack and provide options in case they need to rest Calvert-Lewin.
Broja impressed on loan at Southampton last season and scored six goals from an Infogol xG of 6.46.
The Albanian international's profile as a goal-scorer is noteworthy and his work off the ball is equally impressive.
Another player who could prove to be a suitable Richarlison replacement is Emmanuel Dennis.
Scoring ten goals and providing six assists in 21/22, Dennis could not prevent Watford's relegation. However, he was one of their star players during the season.
Capable of playing across all forward roles, Dennis will slot seamlessly into the Everton front three and brings an impressive ability in possession and a willingness to work hard for the team off the ball as well.
At left-back, given Manchester United's recent signing of Tyrell Malacia, Everton may potentially benefit from signing either Brandon Williams or Alex Telles.
Williams had a solid loan-spell at Norwich and racked up the most minutes of his senior career in a single season so far.
Malacia's signing could mean that him and Telles are surplus to requirements and given that Williams can play both right back and left back, he could prove to be useful as a back-up to Mykolenko.
Earlier in the window, Everton were rumoured to be interested in deals for Jesse Lingard and Conor Gallagher to bolster their midfield options.
Whereas both players would be solid additions, Everton should look to offload their big-wage earners like Andre Gomes before making moves for either of those players.
Both of whom do not address the team's need for a defensive midfielder who can help control games.
To that end, Douglas Luiz could be an excellent addition to the midfield and Everton would do well to test Villa's resolve with a bid but might face intense competition from AC Milan who are also reportedly interested in his services.
Everton have also been linked with a move for Lille midfielder Amadou Onana who has other sides in the Premier League interested in his services. The 20-year-old could be exactly what Lampard needs in a young future replacement for Allan but Lille's asking price of £50m is a concern.
This is an important summer for Everton and if they are to turn things around this season, they have to address their shortcomings by learning from their mistakes in previous transfer windows.
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