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Everton Seasonal Disorder:
Summer: Delusions of Grandeur
Fall: Downward-spiral
Winter: Depression
Spring: Coping
(Repeat)
So in that vain, all questions will be answered with as much (club-directed) snark as possible.
To your questions:
Which position do you think is most critical in this transfer window between CB, CM and ST and who would you take realistically
— Trev (@tommyvint) January 7, 2019
Well, if it were up to me I would be focusing on the center midfield,
As usual, the Toffees are imbalanced in midfield, especially for the style the Marco SIlva is trying to play.
While Andre Gomes has fit in like a really good-looking round peg into a round hole, it is evident that Idrissa Gana Gueye is not the midfielder that Silva would like to pair with the Portugese tempo setter Gomes.
This has led to plenty of rumors about Gueye’s future.
I would like to see the Toffees sign a physically imposing holder with simply better distribution that Gueye.
However, it appears that the Toffees front office is focused more on the attack, including RW (more on that later) and striker.
Striker???
What?? The Toffees are looking for a new striker???
The 15 million dollar leading scorer from RUSSIA wasn’t the answer?
Nor a late-blooming physically limited striker from a currently 7th place Turkish team?
And Silva doesn’t want to hand over the attacking keys to a 21 year old with limited experience in his attempt to finish top seven??
And now, apparently the Toffees are courting Michi Batshuayi, who is being sent home from Valencia for...... poor behavior and lack of effort??
Sorry, I’m not convinced.
Whether it be midfielder, striker, of center back, the Toffees HAVE to stop signing the available player, and go sign the player that best fits into the overall style of the team.
Basically, would Silva be out recruiting Batshuayi if his club form weren’t in limbo?
No, he wouldn’t.
So why should the Belgian’s misdeeds in Spain get him a free ride with a club of supposedly trying to establish itself as a Top 6 side?
If the Toffees are dead set on upgrading the attack, it should be a player like Richarlison who Silva knows will do the job he wants, not the latest player without a home.
But what do I know about winning anything?
I’ve been watching Everton play all my life.
I enjoyed the piece on moral victories and striving for the top six by eating results against them. How much time do we give Marco Silva? The overhaul will take time, we understand that. But at what point does frustration prevail?
— suppressed M24 (@shuai_gmx) December 21, 2018
I try to be a three year guy, but I also know that in today’s day and age Silva may not quite get that much time to reach his goals.
The reality, however, is that Everton are nowhere close to the Top six.
It will take two more windows to finish turning over the starting XI, much less build the depth necessary to balance sustained battles in the Premier League, Europe, and cups alike.
What we SHOULD see, however, in the next six months is the development of a consistent WINNING identity.
As Toffees supporters learned under Roberto Martinez, style counts for only so much.
The Toffees have been the plucky team long enough, and must work to establish a culture of winning.
This means not turning off while up 2-0 against teams far below their own level and missing an opportunity to get momentum back on the side of the Toffees.
However, as always, Everton made a simple task difficult.
Much like Ronald Koeman Silva will get at least a full season and the beginning of the next to establish himself, but unlike the Dutchman, SIlva has an ace up his sleeve...
The impact of Marcel Brands can’t underestimated.
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It is obvious that he is the type of man from whom a culture of winning can originate. Now, after only a few months in England, Brands has been promoted to the Board.
This move is confirmation that Brands influence over the squad on the pitch will only expand. While Silva may find himself in the hot seat, Brands will be the one tasked with building an infrastructure that is independent of the manager in charge at any given time.
Is Silva the man to establish himself at Goodison and lead the Toffees to the promised land?
I’m not sure, but if he isn’t I have faith that no matter what happens with Silva the Everton ship will stay pointed in the right direction and buoyantly afloat with Marcel Brands in charge.
What should the long term solution be for RW? Despite Walcott's poor form, he has been getting the bulk of time over Lookman. Onyekuru is promising, but the work permit is still an issue. Do Everton go out and get a winger, such as Chucky Lozano, or stick with what they have?
— Norman R Groves (@NormanGroves) January 7, 2019
Let me be the first to say that I have been proud to have Theo Walcott at Everton,
He has played with pride, passion, and professionalism since the moment he stepped on the pitch in blue, and has been a shining example for our young players to follow.
He has also not been very good the past few months.
Walcott has been notorious for his tendency to run very hot and very cold, but this streak has felt a little different, and yes, it’s probably because he’s older.
We all know Theo will get hot again, but it just doesn’t feel like he is going to be nearly as hot as he was before, and without supreme technical ability once Walcott loses goals he is a black hole.
Think of an out of form Theo as a rich man’s Aaron Lennon.
(I LOVE AARON LENNON...just to be clear)
First, let’s talk potential transfers.
The first one that popped up was another potential rider on the ever-growing Barcelona Everton pipeline, Malcolm.
I am quite skeptical that the Brazilian will make his way to Goodison, but I do think that there is a need at the position.
Could the Toffees already have the answer on the books in Ademola Lookman?
Possibly, but there’s no way of knowing what kind of player he is unless Silva gives the youngster a run of matches.
So far, Lookman has shown flashes of brilliance, but also a tendency to disappear for long stretches of the match.
Is that a symptom of inconsistent minutes, or of a player not suited for the most competitive league in the world?
There’s only one way to find out.
However, let me finish by saying that no matter how Lookman does, I believe the Toffees should in the market for a right winger this summer.
Henry Onyekuru is certainly a possibility, but like Lookman he is predominately a left winger and assuming the Toffees ever find a striker that spot is spoken for by Richarlison.
For now though, the best hope for this season is that Lookman puts a stranglehold on the position and makes it his own, with a rested and rejuvenated Theo Walcott providing a spark off the bench.
Right now, it’s the best we got.
TOFFEE TUNES
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