The final days of June represent an interesting point in Everton’s summer as the countdown to pre-season begins.
It includes the first landmark of the off-season with supporters likely to get an insight into where the club stands financially during this transfer window. The belief is this will be a period through which money will be tight and that a big sale may be necessary to fund wider improvements desperately needed in the squad.
The context in which the club is operating may become clearer in the coming days - with the end of the month signalling the end of the financial year football clubs adhere to. Last year the requirement to improve the books led to the sale of Richarlison to Tottenham Hotspur before the late June deadline.
The belief is this year may not require the same boost, with the reporting period having already included the club banking the money from the Anthony Gordon sale to Newcastle United in January. The deal that saw Moise Kean initially loaned to Juventus should also have come into effect with the terms including a significant fee being paid by the Serie A side.
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Should Everton need to sell a player for financial reasons then that will quickly become clear as the club’s negotiating position will be at its weakest this week if that is the case. If any substantial interest emerges but the Blues are in a position to operate on their own terms, then there should be no need to accept a quick deal in the coming days.
Another key moment this week will be the decisions of Seamus Coleman and Andy Lonergan. The pair are the remaining senior players whose immediate future is undecided and both have been offered new contracts. Their current deals expire on June 30 - along with those of Yerry Mina, Asmir Begovic, Andros Townsend and Tom Davies, who are all leaving the club. The presence of both Coleman and Lonergan is valued at Finch Farm.
Whether Lonergan opts to remain at Everton or not, this is set to be a summer of change within a goalkeeping unit that is seen as providing the foundation for Jordan Pickford’s consistency. Begovic’s departure means the club needs a new number two. Dyche may look internally with a fleet of young keepers all clamouring to make the step up. Billy Crellin has trained with the first team for some time, Zan-Luk Leban was the first choice for the Under-21s last season, Harry Tyrer spent it on loan at Chester, while Joao Virginia was gaining experience in the Netherlands.
Virginia has the most experience of those available and has played for the senior Everton team, even earning brief Champions League experience during a previous loan spell at Portuguese side Sporting. Pickford is content at Goodison Park but could become the subject of interest from Manchester United should they be unable to agree a new deal with David de Gea, whose contract expires this week.
In defence, the Blues have lost Yerry Mina and Conor Coady, who both started the final game of the season. Ruben Vinagre has also returned to Sporting after a difficult loan spell on Merseyside but Jarrad Branthwaite returns from his loan spell with PSV Eindhoven. Branthwaite is being courted after his positive season but Dyche, who made contact with the centre-back upon his appointment, is expected to give him an opportunity to push senior centre-backs James Tarkowski and Michael Keane over pre-season.
With it being unclear whether Dyche perceives Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey as genuine centre-back contenders - he experimented with Holgate in midfield behind closed doors and during the second half of the away defeat at Arsenal and pitted Godfrey as competition and cover for left-back Vitalii Mykolenko - it is a golden opportunity for Branthwaite, who returns a much-developed player from the one sent off against Brentford in his last appearance at Goodison at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Coleman’s value on and off the pitch was clear under Dyche and it is hoped he will remain, while Nathan Patterson’s performances once Dyche selected him made clear his potential. Both have suffered consistently with injuries, however, and missed the final game of the season. Patterson has spent the close season working to get fit and is close to a full return from his hamstring issues and hopeful of a strong pre-season.
Should Dyche have concerns about the need for right-back cover then support has emerged from an unlikely place. Centre-midfielder James Garner was excellent there in the win over Bournemouth. He has since made clear he is content to fill that role if necessary and is gaining further experience there having started the opening two fixtures of England U21s’ Euros challenge at right-back.
Left-back is a key area for consideration, with competition and cover for Mykolenko deemed an ambition for this summer. Mykolenko’s absences during the final weeks of the season led to Godfrey, Holgate and even Dwight McNeil being tested there. While Godfrey is a capable left-back, it is an area Everton are keen to improve and Garner’s versatility may give Dyche and director of football Kevin Thelwell the freedom to seek a specialist left-back as opposed to a full-back who can cover both sides of the defence.
In midfield, the decision of Davies to seek first-team football has left a gap to fill. Dyche’s favoured system so far at Everton has seen him deploy a three-man central midfield and he currently has four trusted options in Idrissa Gueye, Amadou Onana, Garner and Abdoulaye Doucoure - whose contract was extended by 12 months in the final weeks of the season. Dyche and Thelwell clearly believed keeping Davies was better than the alternatives but will now have to deal with that situation, potentially having to dip into a limited fund to seek a squad player for the middle. One option that many fans would be keen on would be to give popular homegrown midfielder Lewis Warrington the chance to play a more senior role after two positive loan spells for the 20-year-old in the Football League.
In theory, the returning loanees of Dele Alli, Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin could offer Dyche support. There is no doubt the Blues would benefit from the creativity of Dele if Dyche can unlock a fraction of the potential that saw him become integral to Spurs and England. Dyche spoke to Dele upon his early return from his spell at Besiktas and said their conversation, which took place ahead of treatment for the hip injury that prematurely ended the player'ss season, was positive. But Dele has struggled for some time and perseverance with the 26-year-old could be expensive with seven more competitive appearances triggering a multi-million pound payment to his former club.
Meanwhile, Gbamin’s agent has been outspoken about his client’s future, stating it does not lie at Goodison Park, while Gomes is wanted by Lille after impressing there last season and it is difficult to see Everton standing in the way of any move, temporary or permanent.
Onana has attracted interest from clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea and a sale may be considered in order to boost Dyche’s funds. But it appears that potential suitors are initially focused on other targets while the sale of Onana would also require the pursuit of a replacement midfielder - perhaps on top of the squad player needed to replace Davies. Although he operated in a different role to Onana, Alex Iwobi did prove effective in the middle under Frank Lampard but it is not clear whether Dyche sees his return to the centre of midfield as a viable option. Another issue on the horizon is the Africa Cup of Nations next winter. Gueye, Iwobi and Doucoure could miss league and cup games in January and February after each of their national sides qualified for the finals.
Out wide, McNeil has excelled under Dyche and was only removed from his attacking role down the left in order to cover injuries elsewhere. His contribution in the final weeks of the season was crucial to the Blues’ survival and his performance in the shock 5-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion - in which he scored two goals and created two more - was the best individual performance of the season for Everton.
Dyche played Iwobi in every game and the Nigeria international scored the crucial equaliser at Leicester City. Like McNeil, Iwobi’s versatility is an attribute, though while he was a key member of the side last season, not missing a Premier League match, he and the club are yet to reach agreement on a new contract. Talks started last September and he enters the final 12 months of his current deal next week.
Demarai Gray is also set to enter the final year of his deal, though there is the option of a one-year extension. Gray, who provided an assist in his Jamaica debut this weekend, produced moments of magic last season, the most notable the stunning equaliser that secured a draw at eventual champions Manchester City. He is reportedly the subject of interest from Saudi Arabia and within the Premier League and could present a difficult scenario for Everton should serious interest materialise - he only started for Dyche as a makeshift forward in the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin but offers an option in an area the team desperately need to strengthen.
Nowhere do the Blues need reinforcements more than upfront, however. Dominic Calvert-Lewin showed just how much he improved Everton when he was able to play in the final weeks of the campaign but still missed vital games after suffering a second consecutive injury-hit season. Having failed to find adequate support for him over the past two transfer windows, the club cannot afford to fail on this front this summer.
Calvert-Lewin has spent the opening weeks of the close season working at a specialist fitness camp in Munich and will be given every opportunity to build his strength over pre-season in the hope of a better campaign. Faith will be retained in the talented striker but finding competition for him may also be crucial to his fitness battle if new players can reduce the pressure on him to overcome injury. That was not the case last season. It is generally accepted the signing of Neal Maupay has not worked out as planned. The former Brighton player was unfortunate - he arrived five games into the season, having not experienced a full pre-season - and then entered a side that was built to play to Calvert-Lewin, a very different profile of attacker. He did miss crucial opportunities, though, and only scored one goal - the winner against West Ham United in September. Should he attract interest it may be considered.
That is also thought to be the case with Ellis Simms. The 22-year-old was brought back from a loan spell at Sunderland in January in the hope of providing a boost to the squad before new attackers were signed. They did not materialise, however, and Simms found himself under severe pressure as a result. Dyche started him at Anfield and Old Trafford and his first Everton goal at Chelsea was a wonderful piece of individual skill that earned a crucial point. With one year on his contract remaining and having struggled to cement himself as a go-to option amid Calvert-Lewin’s absences late in the season, it is suspected Everton will listen to serious bids for him.
The ECHO reported earlier this month that Sunderland, where he scored seven goals before being brought back to Merseyside, are among a number of clubs interested Simms. Ipswich Town and Blackburn Rovers are thought to be among the others.
Another academy striker set to come under focus is Tom Cannon. The 20-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last season and scored eight goals in the Championship for Preston North End. His development has led to an attempt by England to convince him to switch allegiance from the Republic of Ireland and, such was the impression he made at Preston, Deepdale boss Ryan Lowe told the ECHO he hoped to get him back for the coming season before last season had even ended. Cannon is highly thought of at Finch Farm and while Dyche did not follow his success as closely as he did Branthwaite’s, Cannon is likely to be considered during pre-season. His chances will grow the harder Everton find the market to operate in.
