Where Does Everton Go From Here?

 

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So uh, this is a huge summer for Everton. Coming into the last few weeks of the season I was expecting a squad overhaul, and maybe an Andre Gomes, Bernard, or Alex Iwobi type departure. Unfortunately for us supporters, we have much more to take care of now. Carlo Ancelotti left the club to take the open position at Real Madrid, a move that while obviously understandable, is still very disappointing. So along with a squad that consistently let down supporters last season, Everton is without a manager again. I'm going to do my best to preview this summer from the perspective of a fan, but man, it's looking grim right now. 

Manager

The Athletic reported that club owner Farhad Moshiri and the board had compiled a list of about 40 managers as options to replace Ancelotti. A few of those linked with the club are former Wolves manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, former Bournemouth manager, Eddie Howe, current Brighton manager, Graham Potter, and even current Rangers manager and Liverpool club legend, Steven Gerrard. Let's get that last one out of the way, Steven Gerrard will not be the next manager of Everton Football Club. If you ignore his playing career and general distaste for the club, he would fit the bill, but we can't do that. Gerrard would never be accepted by supporters of the club, nor should he be. I imagine a similar reaction would be had to an appointment of Rafa Benitez, although probably to a lesser extent. Nuno has been linked to the open Crystal Palace job and he appears to be the front-runner there. That most likely takes him out of the conversation. That leaves us with Eddie Howe and Graham Potter as the options based in the UK. My stance on these guys is simple; no way in hell to Eddie Howe, but I'd take Potter in a heartbeat. Potter's Brighton team created tons of chances last season, but they were unable to score goals. Their expected goals per game seemed to be always much higher than their tally at the end of games. The bet with Potter is that his attractive style of football would work better when you switch out players like Neil Maupay and Danny Welback for Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and James Rodriguez. I think the most important thing about Potter is that he gives the club an identity. Under Carlo, the team switched formations more times than Christian Pulisic liked racist tweets. The football was beautiful at times, horrendous at others. Potter would build a team to play attacking football, and that puts him at the top of my list, at least when it comes to realistic targets. 

Departures 

A lot of this depends on the manager hired, but I'll hit on a few players likely to move no matter who the board settles on. Moise Kean is gone. PSG will make that move permanent at some point this summer. Bernard is probably gone. He's a solid bench player at times, but his wages are far too high for a player of his caliber. One of Andre Gomes, Alex Iwobi, or Gylfi Sigurdsson will probably leave the club as well. Siggy is the best player of the bunch, and I would prefer to keep him around. Gomes is dead weight and Iwobi doesn't seem to be good enough for Everton. Another name to watch is James Rodriguez. Carlo Ancelotti denied that he wanted to bring James to Real with him, but I can't see him lining up for a team managed by Eddie Howe or Graham Potter. It sucks for everyone involved, but I get it. Carlo might try to bring Richarlison and Lucas Digne along with him to Madrid this summer. Both players are under contract for a few years, but I wouldn't be shocked to see either player depart for a larger club. Fringe players like Jonjoe Kenny will be on the outs as well. Hopefully Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and other quality players decide to stick around for another season. So much of this is up in the air right now though. We could see a completely different squad next season.

Targets

After losing the Emi Buendia sweepstakes to Aston Villa, the main target seems to be PSV Eindhoven right back Denzel Dumfries. Dumfries has a great motor and isn't afraid of getting up the pitch. As the successor to Seamus Coleman, you could probably do much worse. It looks like the club won't target English right backs like Brighton's Tariq Lamptey or Norwich's Max Aarons. Probably for the best considering the fee those players would cost. The club has been linked to aging players from huge clubs as well. Coutinho, Isco, and Miralem Pjanic have all been mentioned, but I can't imagine any of those moves coming to fruition. Hopefully the club brings in a pacey winger that can get up the pitch, something Carlo didn't have. I don't really have any names here, but Adama Traore from Wolves is the kind of the guy I wouldn't hate. Probably not Traore, but a player with similar skills. Honestly, I don't really know. I don't play enough Football Manager to be a pseudo scout on the internet.

Conclusion

This is a gigantic summer for Everton Football Club. Not only does the squad stink, the club doesn't have a manager or any young prospects outside of Thierry Small. I don't know where they go from here, but that's a question for Marcel Brands to answer, not me. I just hope we don't suck next year.