Everton News

Threadbare Everton squad returns for pre-season at Finch Farm

The Toffees look ill-prepared for a difficult and grueling Premier League season

By Calvin@Mr_Faded_Glory Updated Jul 6, 2023, 2:29pm BST

Everton Unveil New Manager Sean Dyche — Kevin Thelwell with Sean Dyche

A mere 39 days after a heartstopping ending to the 2022-23 Premier League season, Everton return to pre-season training at Finch Farm with more question marks than answers.

Three key members of the Board have stepped down even as the ink is still drying on some new investment in the Toffees which means additional representation for new investors MSP Sports Capital at the top table. However, much-hated chairman Bill Kenwright remains in place even as indications confirm that majority shareowner Farhad Moshiri has asked him to oversee the transition.

The nebulous state of leadership at the club means there has been little to no communication with the fans on where things lie financially with the league. The Blues continue to be linked with a wide variety of players in the transfer market, but it’s difficult to tell which of those names might be legitimate interest versus agent bait.

What is certainly very clear though is that when manager Sean Dyche walks through the doors at Finch Farm on Thursday morning for his first preseason with the Toffees, it will be with a weaker and thinner side that seems even less prepared to deal with the rigours of what will likely be another gruelling season.

The majority of the first team squad are expected back today with only the players still involved in national team duty to return later. But with Asmir Begovic, Yerry Mina, Conor Coady, Ruben Vinagre, Tom Davies, and Andros Townsend now all gone, a thin squad has gotten even more threadbare, with no signs as yet on how those warm bodies will be replaced in the squad.

That will likely not faze the renowned disciplinarian Dyche who has already promised the players who are showing up today that they will be in for an arduous, demanding and possibly backbreaking pre-season, starting at their home base at Finch Farm and then continuing at their summer camp on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland before they embark on their pre-season friendlies.

Dyche, who was last seen at Glastonbury a couple of weekends ago, and a few members of his coaching staff arrived earlier in the day, as did the rehabbing Nathan Patterson as well as Dwight McNeil, Dele, Lewis Warrington, Lewis Dobbin and Tom Cannon.

Per the Everton website, the first day entails -

The first day back for the players involves a morning and early afternoon of medical and gym-related baseline tests, before a training session out on the grass later on.

Check out the updated gallery below as the day progresses and we update with new pictures as they get posted to Getty Images by the club.