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Where Do Everton Go From Here?

As we get closer and closer to the start of the 2018/19 Premier League season, there are an abundance of questions being asked of the 20 clubs that will be competing. Some of them have obvious answers and the others don’t, but one thing that remains a mystery is what’s going on at Everton Football Club. They’ve shipped out over a dozen players either permanently or on loan, but on the other end of the spectrum, they’ve been extremely quiet when it comes to actually bringing people into the club.

Some will argue that they’ve got a squad that’s more than capable of consolidating their place in the top ten, but in the current climate of Premier League football, is that really saying all too much? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the lower half of the top flight is the weakest it’s been in years, and beyond that, the disconnect between the Toffees faithful and the higher-ups seem to be at an all-time high.

The structure and the very heart of the club seem to have faded away over the last few months, and you have to question what kind of mindset that’ll leave them in. While their situation isn’t quite as dire it does resemble what went down with Aston Villa a few years back, in that they were a club who had never been relegated from the top flight, and they seemed to allow their issues to overwhelm them.

The Premier League is as ruthless as it has ever been and while the quality of some of the teams isn’t great, they’ll certainly punish you with scrappy football that always seems to trip up some of the bigger teams – let alone the likes of Everton. The sale of Wayne Rooney also can’t have been great for the club either, and while you could argue that the fans wouldn’t have been too upset by the decision, it’s still a move that highlights the kind of changes that are being implemented.

Whilst we aren’t suggesting that Everton are certainties for relegation or anything ridiculous like that, it’s definitely worth taking a look at their squad and analysing where the points and goals and going to come from if they don’t improve in the transfer window. Richarlison is a name that’s been floated around as a possible incoming player for Everton, but he alone won’t make the difference.

Everton’s first game of the new Premier League campaign will come against Wolverhampton Wanderers which, in itself, is a pretty daunting prospect. Not only will the pressure be on Everton to pull off an opening day victory against the new boys, but it’s also not a great match-up for them across the pitch. Wolves have confidence, goalscoring threats, a solid defence, and a lot of money behind them. Another midtable finish wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for Everton but you’d have to imagine that another season of mediocrity could lead to some big changes both on and off the pitch.

P.S: Winning 22-0 against the equivalent of a pub team isn’t all too convincing.