Everton boss David Moyes has proved himself to be one of the best man-managers in the Premier League.
Only Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have been in their positions with one club longer. He’s taken Everton in to the Champions League, a Cup Final and developed the likes of Wayne Rooney and Jack Rodwell into top class Premiership players.
This week, it was reported that Everton have no money to spend and are unable to borrow from their bank. So with that in mind, but with a man-manager as good as David Moyes at the helm… Are Everton on the verge of slipping backwards from being a serial challenger to the top six?
Everton are in danger of losing touch with the big spenders
After they finished fifth twice in a row, the Toffees have finished eighth and seventh their past two campaigns. The traditional Big four of Man Utd, Chelsea Arsenal and Liverpool will always be contesting the Champions League places; Liverpool even more so now they are spending to ensure they don’t miss out for a third straight season in Europe’s elite competition.
The traditional big four are now joined by Manchester City, who with their new found wealth, have also come past the Toffees and Spurs. Speaking of Tottenham, although they haven’t spent big in the summer, they did in January to bring in quality like Rafael van der Vaart and Everton’s own Steven Pienaar. They also have a loan deal for Emmanuel Adebayor on the cards.
That leaves Everton, remaining competitive for a Europa league place, but for how long? They are standing still while other clubs are striding on. Sunderland, Stoke, Newcastle and Fulham all finished just behind Everton last season and all have made additions to their squads. There have been no significant signings again this summer and the likes of Jagielka, Baines, Rodwell and Cahill have all been linked with moves away from Goodison.
If David Moyes can hold on to the core of his team – Howard, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Rodwell, Fellaini, Cahill and Arteta – then Everton will be competitive. If they don’t, then they will slip further behind in the race for a top-six spot.
Injuries have exposed Everton’s lack of depth
The other factor is that the squad is very thin. As was shown last season, when injuries to key players like Arteta, Cahill, Saha and Fellaini cost Everton throughout the campaign, as there wasn’t the quality of cover to back them up.
Everton require a solid, consistent striker
Up front is where the team needs adding to. Saha is good when healthy, but he played in only 22 matches last season, and only started 14 of those. Yakubu never looks to have recovered from the achilles tendon injury he suffered against Spurs, although 11 goals in 20 games for Leicester last season may be a good sign.
The one ray of light is Jermaine Beckford. After his first season in the Premier League, he looks like he is going to develop into a reliable source of goals, but he still needs time, something the Toffees may be running out of if they are to remain competitive with the top six.
Where is the money going to come from?
Bill Kenwright has stayed true to his values, but he needs to find a cash injection from somewhere to move forward. When Wayne Rooney was sold to Man Utd, it provided funds for the club in future seasons to bring in new faces; maybe the time has come to cash in on the young, talented Jack Rodwell?
Are Everton in danger of being left behind?
Everton, as the song goes, are a “grand old team,” but if they don’t find some money in the next couple of seasons then they will be left to contend with an ageing squad – Cahill is 31, Distin 33, Howard 32, Neville 34, Saha 33, Osman 30, Arteta 29 and Jagileka 29.
Everton will be competitive this season to finish in the top eight, but failing to find investment could hamper the team in the longer term. If they don’t find a cash injection, then they will start to slip down the league, as the teams around them continue to spend, add to and improve their squads in what has become a big money league.
