Everton’s summer is set to be an interesting one having started with a turmoil behind the scenes and with the transfer window still to get into full flow.
Money looks tight and director of football Kevin Thelwell and Sean Dyche have a number of jobs at the top of their ‘to do’ list. The most important is addressing the lack of options up top, with finding support for Dominic Calvert-Lewin crucial before the beginning of the new season.
Securing some depth at left back is also a key aim, with the club having struggled to deal with the absence of Vitalii Mykolenko towards the end of last season. Securing a player who can provide competition for the Ukraine international would be useful.
Another issue that will creep into the minds of those in charge will be the players entering the final year of their contracts once we enter July. The club’s approach to them will be crucial - should Dyche, having now seen those who have been with the first team squad - believe they have a long term future at the club then trying to extend their deals will be important. If he does not then this summer represents the last opportunity for the club to boost its finances through their sale.
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Several first team players are about to enter the final 12 months of their current contracts, the most significant perhaps being Abdoulaye Doucoure, Alex Iwobi and Demarai Gray, all of whom were in and around the starting eleven throughout the campaign. The situation around Doucoure has been dealt with in the short term - his deal was due to expire this summer but the club triggered its option to extend it by a year in the final weeks of the campaign.
Doucoure had been keen to commit as early as the previous summer but fell out of favour under Frank Lampard only to then emerge as Dyche’s most important player, completing his comeback by writing his name into Goodison Park folklore with the goal that confirmed Everton’s Premier League survival. His extension is likely to close discussions on his longer term future for the time being.
One player who has been in talks with the club for some time is Alex Iwobi. The club launched negotiations for a new deal with the Nigeria international in September as he built on a positive end to the season before, continuing his Everton renaissance as a creative force in the middle of midfield. Under Dyche, Iwobi has been moved out wide but remained an integral part of the team. He played in every league game last season and his equaliser at Leicester City played a significant role in the survival battle. Iwobi said last week that it was his dream to play in the Champions League again, though he is thought to be happy at Everton.
Another wide player who will enter the last year of his deal this summer is Demarai Gray. Gray, who is set to play in the Gold Cup when it begins this week after switching allegiance to Jamaica, is reportedly the subject of interest from Fulham. Dyche typically used Gray from the bench when Dominic Calvert-Lewin was available, though eventually settled on the 26-year-old as the best option up front when Calvert-Lewin was unavailable, his faith rewarded with positive performances including in the away game to Nottingham Forest.
That decision-making process had started with Ellis Simms leading the line, which he did for Dyche’s second game in charge - the trip to Anfield. Dyche has spent five months working with Simms, who scored a magnificent equalising goal at Chelsea, but appeared to place others ahead of him in the closing weeks of the campaign. Simms has suitors in the Championship, with Ipswich Town and Sunderland - where he enjoyed a successful first half of last season - among the interested parties. Of the players around the first team under Dyche who are entering their final year, the academy graduate is the player Everton would be most likely to consider offers for.
Three players on significant wages are due to return to Finch Farm for the final year of their contracts this summer after loan deals last season. The future of all three will be high on the list of priorities for this summer, such are the size of their deals and their history with the club. The agent of Jean-Philippe Gbamin has made clear he does not see a future for his player at Everton, while Andre Gomes is unlikely to feature in Dyche’s plans despite a positive spell at Lille.
Dele Alli, meanwhile, spoke to Dyche upon his early return from Besiktas with injury. Their conversation went well but any perseverance with Dele could be prohibitive financially, the former Tottenham Hotspur star seven games from triggering a £10m payment to Spurs. Everton would be significantly strengthened with the addition of a genuine playmaker and Dyche may want to give Dele the opportunity to revive his career. However, in the case of all three it is likely that offers for permanent or loan deals would at least be considered should they come in.
Another player whose current contract expires in 2024 and who could be set for an interesting summer is goalkeeper Joao Virginia. The 23-year-old has spent much of the last three years on loan and, having done so, is the most experienced of the young goalkeepers at Everton. With Asmir Begovic having turned down a new deal and the club waiting to hear whether Andy Lonergan will extend his stay, there is a vacant spot in the first team goalkeeping unit and Virginia is hopeful he can stake a claim for it.
