Fan Comment

Everton 2018-19

Everything seems to be falling apart in 2017 and the thickness of the black cloud around Goodison Park makes it easy to miss that there are actually some very strong foundations in place that could mean an historic season for Everton in 2018-19.

With what is left of this season, the Board must do the following: appoint a permanent first-team manager; sign a centre-forward; and ship out some of the Koeman signings that haven't settled. Perhaps there is a chance they will revisit the Ross Barkley situation as well.

That's four things, in six months (to the end of May).

If we really examine the squad that will be here at the start of next season, it includes several young players that will be a crucial few months more experienced and able to help out (Calvert-Lewin, Davies, Holgate, Kenny, Baningime, Lookman) as well as several returning loanees who will be ready to step up (Dowell, Pennington, Walsh) and a fair number of players returning from long-term injury at the end of this season (Coleman, Funes Mori and Bolasie) will surely be up to speed by the beginning of next. That's 11 players that will either be back, better or both by next August.

Then there is the World Cup. Several of our key players represent countries that didn't make it, meaning a summer of rest for the likes of McCarthy and Klaassen. The Everton representatives are likely to be in Russia include Mirallas (who may not be an Everton player by next season), Keane (who may not be first choice for England anyway), Pickford, Funes Mori, Vlasic and Sigurdsson. Perhaps only one of those can honestly expect to be there beyond the quarter-finals. Several clubs we will be competing with next season will have far more competing players than that with far more tired legs to account for and far more games (European football) too. So a big squad of (relatively) fresh players and less football for them to be tired out in only bodes well for domestic performances next season.

We will, by then, know more about the situation with the new stadium. Perhaps we will even have broken ground on the site. This might seem fanciful to some in light of memories past but there is a lot less resistance to Bramley-Moore than there was with Walton Hall Park or Destination Kirkby and a lot more help from the council, as well as a lot more money from both improved TV revenue and our rich benefactor. Planning permission should surely be a formality once a design is finalised, which must be imminent. Either way, we will be further ahead with this and have more clarity — something exciting to genuinely look forward to.

And so to the manager. Whoever he ends up being, he will surely be appointed by the turn of 2018. This means by the time of the start of next season, we will have had two transfer windows to play around in — selling some of the fringe players that aren't going to cut it and moving on some of the trouble-makers that have been too much of a distraction whilst also adding to the talent we have got with a couple of key additions (centre-forward, centre-back and cover at left-back). People will mention width but remember we have Vlasic, Bolasie, Lennon and Lookman already at the club. The new man at the helm will also have had 8 months to embed his tactical vision and ethos into the players. By the start of 2018-19, they will be ready to go and firing on all cylinders.

So a new manager, a couple of key signings and some equally important departures and we will have all the ingredients we need for an assault on the top four next season. Maybe even the elusive League Cup for the first time in our history.

It might all seem like we are in the midst of a stark winter, but one or two rose-buds are already showing, and spring is around the corner.

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