January is almost here for Everton. With Halloween just gone and bonfire night to come before Christmas enters most minds, it feels strange for there to already to be focus on the new year.
Yet it is already on the minds of those at Finch Farm. It has to be. In 10 days the Premier League will take its unprecedented World Cup break and, while there will still be two more ties before 2023 begins, the opportunity to learn where Everton are, what they are doing well and where the weaknesses lie will have largely passed.
There will still be weeks of work - some in public, such as the matches against Celtic and Western Sydney Wanderers in the Sydney Super Cup, and more behind the scenes at Finch Farm. The World Cup will also have its influence as new stars rise, potential transfer targets emerge and the threat of injury hangs over those involved. But the foundation for the next stage of Frank Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell’s project to take Everton forward will be the opening 15 games of the season.
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Lampard and those around him are content with the progress shown so far. The Blues boss has repeatedly spoken of the need to maintain perspective during the highs and lows of the season, acknowledging there will be bumps in the road but stressing that is to be expected. The first section of this season has not been without drama and tension - for all the promise of going four games unbeaten there was collective relief when the first win of the campaign then came in the next match at home to West Ham United. The resolve shown to come from behind and beat Southampton in the first game after the international break was also a highlight - the attitude shown in that game, like at Fulham in the goalless draw at Craven Cottage - widely viewed as evidence of a strength of character that simply did not exist as the club spiralled toward catastrophe last season.
Lampard also put behind him the horrors of the hammering his side took in Minnesota in pre-season, moving to four at the back against what was then a free-scoring Leeds side. He ultimately craves flexibility but the switch was an important step for him and though it felt like a gamble at the time it has turned Everton into a more progressive side and Nathan Patterson - still an unknown quantity at the start of the season after injury ruined his January arrival - has excelled down the right.
The tactical switch further boosted the rise to prominence of Alex Iwobi, one of the league’s most creative forces with five assists and the stunning goal against Manchester United to his name. Jordan Pickford has continued his excellent form into this season and talks are ongoing over new contracts for the England number one, Iwobi and Anthony Gordon. The bond between James Tarkowski and Conor Coady has transformed the mentality of the squad. The Everton ‘dads’, as they are known by teammates, have been crucial to the solidity that has underpinned Everton’s performances and with the likes of club captain Seamus Coleman they are integral to the squad’s internal leadership unit. The start to Amadou Onana’s Everton career and recent performances of Vitalii Mykolenko - both offensively and defensively - are also reasons for optimism.
Yet the squad’s limitations have also come to the fore since the season opener against Chelsea - particularly in the run of three defeats to Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, all games in which Everton found it tough to create chances even when chasing an equaliser. With the exception of Iwobi and glimpses from Demarai Gray, Gordon and Dwight McNeil, Everton have struggled to consistently provide a threat going forward. Those four have already scored eight goals this season but the Blues attack still feels disjointed and it is accepted at Finch Farm that it is the most significant area for work over the coming weeks and January. Lampard, the Premier League’s greatest midfield goalscorer, is overseeing training ground work on improving the ruthlessness of his wide players. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury was a major setback at the end of a summer in which strengthening the spine was seen as the priority. His return to fitness and Neal Maupay’s integration into the setup offer further hope the answers can lie within the squad - and if Calvert-Lewin misses out on England’s World Cup squad then there will be more than a month for relationships to grow and plans devised. The initial indication from Lampard has been that he does not plan to use Calvert-Lewin and Maupay together but extensive work to identify Everton’s most effective route to goals will continue through the break.
Having Calvert-Lewin back for an extended period is seen as a significant boost with the 25-year-old showing what he is capable of with his opening goal in the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace. The extent to which the transfer window seeped into the new season was a source of frustration for Lampard and late business was crucial. But the club was also undermined by the protracted negotiations to sign Idrissa Gueye and the freak knee injury suffered by Calvert-Lewin as he was looking ready for the new campaign. Had the Gueye deal been concluded before the start of the campaign, as was intended, and Calvert-Lewin not endured such bad luck, Everton would have been in a stronger position at the very start of a campaign they have instead had to grow into.
While there is hope more can be gained out of the current squad, work to identify attacking targets has continued since the transfer window closed. If a deal can be found that fits Everton’s budget it is where the club is most likely to strike, whether through the loan or permanent market. Late summer moves for Ajax’s Muhammed Kudus and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhailo Mudryk were thwarted and the club’s recruitment team have since had to watch with frustration as both have excelled in the Champions League. With PSV’s Coady Gakpo, reportedly lined up as a replacement should Gordon have moved to Chelsea, also enjoying a fine start to the season there is an acceptance their values and their reputations may have soared and attracted the attention of other clubs. Ben Brereton-Diaz was another forward considered by Everton in the summer but overlooked due to his lack of experience in the Premier League at a time when the Blues could ill-afford to gamble after Calvert-Lewin was struck by injury. His contract at Blackburn Rovers expires at the end of the season and several Premier League clubs are considering a move for him.
While efforts to strengthen Everton going forward is a focus for January there is an understanding the World Cup will make negotiations during that window harder. Considerable attention will be paid to potential outgoings though. Everton oversaw late business to secure loan moves for Dele Alli, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Andre Gomes while Allan was sold in the last transfer window to conclude - that of the UAE’s domestic league. Salomon Rondon attracted attention from the Middle East but remained on Merseyside. He is one of several senior squad players whose contract is due to run out in June 2023 and has been used sparingly even when Everton lacked a recognised striker due to Calvert-Lewin’s injury.
Lampard’s priority has been managing the squad on a game-to-game basis as Everton target enough points before the World Cup to avoid sleepless nights over Christmas, but the futures of those on expiring contracts will increasingly come up for discussion in the coming weeks. They include Tom Davies and Abdoulaye Doucoure. Both have been used by Lampard, who values competition in the centre of midfield, this season. Davies in particular came in for praise for his displays - including in the Merseyside derby. Doucoure made the club aware he was keen to remain at Goodison Park in the summer. Meanwhile, Asmir Begovic has kept clean sheets in the two games he has been called upon this season. He recently told of his enjoyment at his time on Merseyside and with the Everton goalkeeping unit.
Another important player whose current deal runs out at the end of the summer is Yerry Mina. Beset by injury throughout Lampard’s tenure, there are no questions about his ability. But his fitness problems have continued into the new season and he is yet to return from an injury suffered after just over an hour of the first game, which he started. Lampard is well aware that, post-World Cup amid the expected return of Ben Godfrey, he will have a squad with a lot of senior centre backs. Competition is even more fierce now Everton play with two centre backs and with the club likely to trigger the option to make Coady’s loan move permanent at the end of the season. Managing Coady, Tarkowski, Mina, Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Michael Keane, who has only seen 22 minutes of action this season, could be a challenge if all are fit and remain beyond the January transfer window. Looking to the long-term, academy prospects Jarrad Branthwaite, on loan at PSV, and teenager Reece Welch, handed a new contract recently, are also looking to build a future at the club. A decision may also have to be made on whether to trigger the recall close in Branthwaite’s deal, with the 20-year-old having started just three of PSV’s league games to date.
One area there will be departures from in January is the Under-21s squad, with Kyle John among one of a batch of starlets deemed ready for senior experience. One of Thelwell’s core principles is creating opportunities for young players to progress and finding suitable loan opportunities is seen as an important part of that pathway - hence the appointment of James Vaughan as loans pathways manager. Several youngsters may get an opportunity to travel with the squad to Australia before being considered for loan deals and Lampard is following the progress of those already gaining experience elsewhere, including Lewis Warrington at Fleetwood Town.
The final judgement on the start to the season will be made after the home game to Leicester City and the league and cup trips to Bournemouth next week. Already this season, Lampard has seen signs of real progress from the grim relegation battle Everton eventually won last season. As he made clear after the Fulham game, work remains to be done and there is no complacency towards that at Finch Farm or the club’s city centre HQ at the Royal Liver Building. The visit of Leicester on Saturday will be the least important of the club’s three ties with Brendan Rodgers’ team this year but a win would make the World Cup break far more comfortable for staff and supporters. As Everton’s new home rises on the waterfront there is an understanding that the hoped-for rise up the table needs to be sustainable. Behind the scenes the emphasis is on improvements with solid foundations but while that may require patience at times, Lampard and Thelwell are ambitious in their hopes to build on the momentum growing at the club.
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