Now that survival has been confirmed, Everton can step up preparations for next season.
Background work will already have been done - last year the club had two plans drawn up going into the final weeks of the campaign and there is nothing to suggest the approach to this season is any different.
The late start will hamper those in charge of recruitment - clubs that knew their fate weeks ago will have had a headstart on discussions with targets. But Sean Dyche was clear in his post-Bournemouth comments that his squad needs serious work.
READ MORE: The inside story of how Sean Dyche saved Everton from relegation
READ MORE: Sean Dyche makes admission over Everton transfer budget and player exits
While Dyche is aware of the size of the task that faces him, at the start of this week he was still unaware of his budget. The Blues boss conceded he may have to sell players to rebuild a paper-thin and disjointed squad. One of Dyche’s several mantras is of focusing on what he can influence - ‘controlling the controllable’, he often says. With that in mind the first issue he can deal with is those whose contracts are expiring. Dyche will have been assessing those coming towards the end of their deals over recent months and, with budgets likely too constrained, may act clinically.
The future of three such players has already been confirmed. Abdoulaye Doucoure was training away from the first team after a bust up with Frank Lampard when Dyche arrived at Everton. Dyche brought him straight into his starting XI and the Mali international became his new boss’ most valuable player. Everton under Dyche were at their worst during the midfielder’s three game suspension, while his five goals and two assists were one of the core reasons Everton survived. In the 15 games he played for Dyche, Doucoure created a highlight reel that will be endure he is fondly remembered when he leaves. That is unlikely to be this summer after Everton triggered the option to extend his contract in the final week of the season. Doucoure loves Everton and told the Echo last summer of his desperation to extend his stay. In January there was a chance he would not even spend the remainder of the season on Merseyside. Now he is committed to a further 12 months and his name has entered club folklore after he scored the goal that guaranteed survival.
The future of Yerry Mina has also been decided. He posted to Instagram on the eve of the Bournemouth game to confirm it would be his last for the club. Injury has ruined his time on Merseyside but he has remained a popular character and stepped up to lead the club to safety when he was eventually given a chance by Dyche. Mina took a moment to contemplate his arrival at Goodison for one final time on Sunday, crossing the pitch alone after arriving two hours before kick-off and breathing in the history. Isaac Price was one of several Under-21s players to gather enough momentum to take him to the first team in 2022. Lampard handed him senior and league debuts before the summer then, as the U21s impressed in the first half of the season, gave him an opportunity which he seized when the club travelled to Australia during the World Cup break. Lampard declared Price the player of the trip and the central midfielder was introduced in the second half of the January defeat to Brighton. But poor first team form followed by the arrival of Dyche limited opportunities and 19-year-old turned down efforts from Everton to keep him and is set to join Belgian side Standard Liege in search of first team football.
Seamus Coleman is the biggest name over which uncertainty lies but it is thought the club captain will be offered the chance to extend his stay beyond the 14 valuable years he has already spent since joining from Sligo Rovers. The defender is now 34 and his final weeks of the campaign were blighted by injury - but he was again pivotal. He serves as a vital connection between the players and the fanbase and is a dressing room leader. Dyche has grown to value that influence while his importance on the pitch has been highlighted by the struggle to deal with absence, particularly in light of promising young defender Nathan Patterson’s misfortune with injury.
Conor Coady represents the most intriguing decision for Dyche and director of football Kevin Thelwell. Under Lampard it was an open secret the option to buy the centre back would be triggered. At a cost of around £4.5m to Everton it was a case of when the clause would be exercised, not if. The situation is more complicated under Dyche, who quickly dropped Coady for Michael Keane. A fortnight ago, as Coady was welcomed back to Molineux with great respect by staff at parent club Wolves, it looked like he would return there when his loan ended. But there is a compelling argument to keep him. Coady showcased his value by coming in amid an injury crisis and performing well in the Bournemouth game, his composure under pressure making him stand out.
Coady’s future may depend on what happens with other centre backs at the club. It is one of few areas where there is genuine depth even with Mina’s departure and over what will probably be a frugal summer the fee could be useful elsewhere. But few players will represent better value for money this summer. The future of Jarrad Brainthwaite from an excellent loan spell at PSV Eindhoven could be crucial. He will hope for first team opportunities but is also being courted by several clubs and could command a decent fee that could be used to address club finances or help fund signings elsewhere. If Branthwaite is to get a chance under Dyche it is harder to see Coady being retained. There can be little doubt Coady has fought hard for Everton whatever happens. What was interesting was his Instagram post following the win over Bournemouth, in which he suggested it was time to ensure the club does not go through a similar struggle again - certainly not an obvious farewell post.
The situation is clearer with the other player Everton signed on loan this season - Ruben Vinagre. The defender was a summer arrival from Sporting Lisbon and like with Coady, also had Wolves connections and an option to buy within the terms of the deal. The 24-year-old was hardly used, however, making just two appearances in the Premier League and often overlooked even when first choice left-sided defender Vitalii Mykolenko was unavailable. Vinagre was out injured for the final weeks of the season - a time when Mykolenko and Ben Godfrey were also out and when he might actually have had a chance. The lack of minutes he had when fit point to his time on Merseyside now coming to an end.
In the closing stages of the season, Dyche often named two goalkeepers on the bench - both Asmir Begovic and Andy Lonergan. Both are out of contract but form a trusted goalkeeping unit with Jordan Pickford, who signed a new deal earlier this year. Begovic is an able deputy who kept a clean sheet when needed in the win over West Ham and has just expanded his coaching scheme to Liverpool. Lonergan is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Blues but is respected by both goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly and Dyche. With Pickford having performed so well over recent seasons this will be a big call for the club over whether to break-up the department that is proving so adept at keeping Pickford in top form.
The Everton futures of Tom Davies and Andros Townsend are both in doubt. Davies burst into the first team from the academy and was an important part of the senior side for several years, only for injury to have blighted recent seasons. Again this year, he has suffered bad injuries and unfortunate times - flying home from Australia before playing a game after suffering an injury that prevented him from staking a claim for more responsibility in midfield. He did feature early in this season and played well when he started the Goodison Merseyside derby - when he hit the post. But under Dyche he appears to be behind Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Idrissa Gueye and James Garner and he spoke earlier this year of his desire for first team football, meaning he may have played his last game for Everton. Townsend, meanwhile, has not featured for the first team since the devastating ligament injury he suffered in the FA Cup at Crystal Palace in March 2022. He is nearing a comeback and has been training with the first team in recent weeks.
