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Liverpool Echo

Sport

Adam Jones

Everton transfer business proves that Frank Lampard and Kevin Thelwell have listened

Everton Frank Lampard Amadou Onana Kevin lwell Conor Coady EPL Goodison Park

Everton supporters knew the huge importance of this transfer window, not just for the squad but for the backroom team, too.

The Blues were desperate for improvement in multiple areas of the pitch heading into the coming season. That much was blatantly apparent to anyone with even a passing interest of the comings and goings at Goodison Park. A relegation fight is not where fans want or expect this club to be, and to avoid that again then there needed to be transfers.

But for the last few years it's seemingly been the same. Saying that this is a "crucial transfer window" for Everton has effectively lost all meaning at this stage.

Perhaps, though, this year it took a little more effect with the arrivals of Frank Lampard and Kevin Thelwell. The former had made something of an impact right at the end of January, but this was realistically his first movements in the market with the Blues - as it was for the incoming director of football.

First impressions are key. Everton fans have been through a lot in recent years and they needed reassurance over this summer that at least the recruitment side of things is in good hands and that their fears are being listened to.

Up until this point, still with a few weeks to go of the transfer window admittedly, Lampard and Thelwell certainly seem to be living up to that billing.

Looking at the positions in the squad that needed filling is probably the most simplistic way to address the business that has taken place so far, and it's clear to see the Blues still have work to do in this sense before the market closes. But, at the same time, the point also must be made that a number of positions have certainly seen their depth and quality increase.

Centre-back is now a strength for the side, although injuries to Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey were unfortunate in the opening match of the season. Midfield is now looking much more comfortable too with the arrival of Amadou Onana, and the expected incoming transfer of Idrissa Gueye. Ruben Vinagre has brought much-needed competition and depth to the left-back role while Dwight McNeil will be able to provide a new brand of creativity at the top end of the pitch.

And if Everton can bring in another forward over the course of the coming weeks, especially in the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, then you'd have to say they're looking pretty good.

Having been working on something of a shoestring budget over the course of the summer thanks to the situation with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, it's been a tough negotiating stance for the Blues in many of their prospective deals. Not knowing which division they would be playing their football in until right at the end of last season could potentially have also stunted any early conversations taking place with potential targets.

But, looking at the positions of each player doesn't tell the full story. Lampard in particular spoke often towards the end of 2021/22 and over the summer about what he wanted to bring to Everton, and it wasn't necessarily about where on the pitch a player would line up.

Instead, the recruitment team have been looking for the right profiles. Players with certain qualities that the squad has been lacking all over the pitch.

Robust leaders in defence who are ready and willing to put their bodies on the line throughout a high number of matches in a term; an exciting young forward up front with the strong desire to improve his goal contributions, and a versatile young midfielder who arrives at the club with potential through the ceiling and desperate to grab at his platform to grow in the Premier League.

This is what supporters really like to see and what they will grasp onto in the future. The reaction to Conor Coady's signing earlier in the week says a lot about not only how pleased Evertonians are with the player himself, but how comfortable many are with the new strategy.

It would have been easy, and many pundits have fallen into this trap, to suggest some wouldn't be happy with the defender's past allegiance across Stanley Park - but nobody cared. His first interview was honest, direct and it was clear to see he was delighted and proud to be pulling on the Everton shirt.

Fans respond to that. Fans want to see players hungry to play for their club. Lampard and Thelwell at the very least seem to have listened to that aspect and are keen to tap into it as much as possible.

They saw what effect this support could have on the team at the back end of last season - in fact the whole footballing world did. The way fans came together was incredible to witness and it was clear to see the values that they wanted from their players on the pitch.

Hard work and determination should come as a given when you step out onto the field for the Blues. Making sure that there is an inherent philosophy of that through the club's recruitment is at the heart of beginning to build this club back up.

Has it been the perfect transfer window so far? No, it hasn't - but when has any side, apart from those with unlimited pools of cash who don't feel threatened by financial regulations, ever really managed to achieve that?

Players of a variety of different position, age range and experience level have arrived at Finch Farm already with more to come in the future. They all share the fact that they buy in to an "Everton way" that perhaps has fallen by the wayside a little too much in the recent past.

But in terms of addressing the qualities that Lampard wanted to at the beginning of the window, the Blues are certainly on a great path. The hard work isn't done yet, though.

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