Stats

Tactics

If Marco Silva’s past is any indication, expect big changes tactically compared to Sam Allardyce. One of the biggest changes we can expect Silva to make has to do more with the wingers than the striker.

Most importantly, Silva has actual wingers at his disposal this season. The days of Gylfi Sigurdsson or a similar player being incorrectly slotted out wide should be gone in place of Theo Walcott and Richarlison.

This kind of speed and skill on the wing, mixed in with overlapping full backs should draw defenders in and allow Cenk Tosun to play to his strengths and exploit the gaps left by the opposing defenders. Essentially, the striker, regardless of who it is will not necessarily be the focal point of the attack, but a beneficiary of the team’s efforts out wide.

Current Players

Cenk Tosun

Tosun comes into this season settled and ready to be Everton’s primary striker. After struggling a bit upon his arrival, Tosun fit in nicely with the squad and proved he could be a dangerous player up top for Everton.

When things were clicking for Tosun last season he was very much a footballing Swiss-Army knife. Not great at any one thing, but very solid at most of them. He could play with his back to goal, pick set-pieces out of the air, or play the role of poacher. He excels at finding space in the box and the new additions out wide should help him find even more.

While Tosun is unlikely to ever replace the hole left by Romelu Lukaku’s departure he should be able to build upon last season and find even more success under a better organized and attack-minded manager.

Photo by Lynne Cameron/Getty Images

Oumar Niasse

Oumar Niasse is a much more enjoyable player when he’s not the team’s main striker. As a starter, his flaws quickly rush to the surface. He’s bad with the ball at his feet and he’s not very good at receiving the ball in a controlled manner. But what he lacks in polish, he makes up for with pure effort and determination.

Strong, reasonably quick and with a motor that doesn’t stop, Niasse is a great impact sub for Everton. When the opposing defense is tired, a player like Niasse is valuable. He won’t put up big numbers over the course of the season, but he has shown the ability to have an impact late in matches.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Calvert-Lewin is a fun and promising option for Everton. He improved upon his debut season two years ago by setting personal bests in goals and assists and proved to be a versatile player capable of playing across the front line.

He still has a way to go before he can even think about calling the striker position his own, but he does offer a good change of pace option up top when he returns from injury.

Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

Sandro Ramirez

Part of the failed Koeman/Walsh overhaul from last summer, Sandro struggled mightily with Everton, was sent on loan to Sevilla in La Liga and then struggled some more. A player that was meant to be the team’s main striker last season scored only one goal in a meaningless Europa League loss to Atalanta.

It appeared to be a certainty that Sandro would be on his way this summer, but Marco Silva appears to be giving the out of form striker one final chance to prove himself. It’s unclear where exactly Sandro fits in on this squad and Silva may just be doing his due diligence by giving the striker playing time. It still remains likely that Sandro is playing elsewhere when the season begins.

State of the position

Exactly the same as it was last season. Everton have added no new strikers and the only change is the selling of Wayne Rooney to DC United of Major League Soccer. While the personnel hasn’t changed it’s safe to assume that this current crop of players can benefit from a more forward-thinking manager like Marco Silva.