The Everton squad entered 2024/25 wanting a slightly less controversial season to contend with under Sean Dyche, but there’s no sign of it arriving just yet.
After the leakiness that defined the eras of Benitez and Lampard, Dyche deserves praise for coming in with a plan to improve Everton’s defensive performance. Last season, in the league, the Toffees defended like a top-four side (conceding just 51 goals), much of this built on a tireless work ethic which rippled through the squad.
The Everton boss may need to go back and find what worked so well in that period, as his side took just three games of the new season to ship 10 goals, almost a fifth of their tally last term.
There’s just as much work to do in the attack. With only 40 goals during the previous campaign, and a frontline that managed just 11 collectively, improvement is desperately needed. A fit and healthy Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a start, who looked sharp in his goal against Bournemouth, but goalscoring still looks to be an issue in the early part of this season.
Dyche has talked a lot about ‘alignment’, the feeling that the fans and the team need to be pulling in the same direction. This again may need some retouching, as their faltering start led to train station fracas between the players and fans.
With limited resources, the club has to squeeze advantage from wherever it can, so will need to give fans something to get behind to start repairing that damage.
The atmosphere, specifically at home, represents one such resource, and so it’s hoped that this sense of togetherness can be regained. Not least because, as it goes into its final season, Goodison Park deserves to end its days at its intimidating best.
Everton squad for 2024/25
Everton squad for 2024/25: Sean Dyche's full team
- GK: Jordan Pickford
- GK: Joao Virginia
- GK: Asmir Begovic
- DF: Nathan Patterson
- DF: Michael Keane
- DF: James Tarkowski
- DF: Jake O'Brien
- DF: Ashley Young
- DF: Vitaly Mykolenko
- DF: Seamus Coleman
- DF: Jarrad Branthwaite
- MF: Dwight McNeil
- MF: Orel Mangala
- MF: Abdoulaye Doucoure
- MF: Idrissa Gueye
- MF: James Garner
- MF: Tim Ioregbunam
- FW: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
- FW: Iliman Ndiaye
- FW: Jack Harrison
- FW: Beto
- FW: Youssef Chermiti
- FW: Jesper Lindstrom
- FW: Armando Broja
Everton squad numbers for 2024/25
Everton manager
Sean Dyche
After navigating the ‘noise’ of the recent campaign, Sean Dyche has earned the respect of Evertonians, if not necessarily the love. For that to change, he’ll need to improve on the painfully reductive football that has been frequently produced since his arrival.
Everton's key player
Jordan Pickford
With another outstanding season, which saw him produce 13 clean sheets, the disrespect Jordan Pickford receives from non-Evertonians is inexplicable. Pickford has barely put a foot wrong in recent years and remains one of the main reasons Everton are still a Premier League team.
One to watch
Youssef Chermiti
Youssef Chermiti, who arrived in the summer of 2023 from Sporting, was largely restricted to cameos off the bench last season. But while on the pitch, he offered flashes that were encouraging. Increasingly preferred by the manager to Beto as the campaign neared conclusion, hopefully we will see more of the youngster in the season to come.
The mood
Evertonians are generally immune to optimism, but with the new ground nearing completion, the potentially catastrophic 777 out of the picture and the feeling that the very worst of the club’s financial problems could be in the past, belief exists that Everton’s fortunes might at last have turned a corner.
Although, this being the Toffees, there is every chance that the turn in question could merely lead the club into another cul-de-sac.
Most likely to...
Keep wearing his lucky trackie. Dyche ditched the suit and went full leisurewear at the end of last season, a change that saw an accompanying upturn in results. There are some Evertonians who would like him sewn into it.
Least likely to...
Offer Richard Masters a complimentary ticket. It’s fair to say that the relationship between Everton and the Premier League is not the best. With some PSR concerns potentially remaining, this might not change anytime soon.
View from the stands
Joe Strange (@joe_strange)
Last season was a rollercoaster (again). Two points deductions, a record winless run and one brilliant week at Goodison to finally stave off relegation for a third season running. I was glad when it was over.
The big talking point is the new owners. If it is the Friedkin Group, they need to do a much better job than clueless Farhad Moshiri. Also, our final season at Goodison Park. It's going to be emotional.
This season will be different because, if we don't receive any points deductions, Sean Dyche has proved he can steer this group up the table. Last season's performances deserved a much more comfortable finish.
I won’t be happy unless the club finds a way to back Dyche in the transfer market. It'll be difficult with PSR rules, but we're desperate for some creativity and pace out wide.
Our key player will be Jarrad Branthwaite. He's got the potential to be a truly great central defender for the next decade or more. Absolutely baffling that he didn't make England's Euro 2024 squad.
Our most underrated player is Jordan Pickford. Plenty of opposition fans and pundits still seem oblivious to just how good he is. Quite possibly the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.
Fans think our owner is a clown. Farhad Moshiri's reign has been a disaster – bar the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock – and his exit can't come quick enough. The list of bad decisions he's made is mind-boggling.
The opposition player I'd love here is Phil Foden. Super-talented, English and has the creative spark which Everton sorely lack. What a player.
The opposition player who grinds my gears is still Andy Robertson. Will he be more likeable now that Jurgen Klopp has left? Probably not.
The active player I'd love to have back is Romelu Lukaku. His best years were at Everton and he'd bring the goals we lacked last season, especially if we're forced to cash in on Dominic Calvert-Lewin this summer.
The player I'd happily drive to another club is Michael Keane. He's proved he's not good enough over the past few seasons and it's time to move on.
The pantomime villain will be VAR's semi-automated offsides. How soon until something goes wrong, or there's a dodgy-looking decision? It just feels inevitable.
The thing my club really gets right is their emphasis on how important the fans are. Across all club channels, there seems to be a genuine appreciation of Evertonians and the role they play on matchdays and beyond.
The one change I'd make would be to employ senior executives with the knowledge and experience to set Everton up for success on and off the pitch. The complete opposite of what we've been used to in recent years.
Our season ticket prices are getting worse. They've increased significantly in recent seasons – albeit after a long period of being frozen – and they look certain to rise again as we move into a new stadium.
I'm least looking forward to playing Southampton – in our final home game of the season and last ever match at Goodison Park. Our new stadium looks incredible, but it's going to be a wrench to leave home.
The fans' opinion of the gaffer is positive. Dyche has done a really good job in difficult circumstances – bar that horrible winless run – and Everton appear to be in much safer hands. He can be stubborn and seems to value hard work over creativity, but that might not be the worst thing for us right now.
If he left, he should be replaced by David Moyes – if we're in the same tricky financial position. If there's some ambition and money to spend under new owners, then Graham Potter or Kieran McKenna could be exciting.
We'll finish 13th.
