Everton 2023/24 Premier League season preview

Everton's 2023/24 Premier League season gets underway on August 12 as they welcome last campaign's surprise package Fulham to Goodison Park.

Following a disastrous 2022/23 season, the top online gambling sites have set low expectations of the Toffees, with the club struggling to improve the squad that stuttered last term. 

Let's look at the situation. 

Everton cannot forget last season soon enough

Sean Dyche took charge of a ramshackle team last January and barely helped them salvage a top-flight status in one of the club's worst Premier League seasons. 

His underperforming predecessor Frank Lampard left the wreckage in his wake, but the ex-Burnley boss picked up the pieces and put them together enough to see the Toffees weather a relegation battle.

Dyche stunned Arsenal 1-0 on his touchline debut, yet it turned out to be one of his mere five victories in 18 league matches in charge of Everton (D6, L7). 

The team's underwhelming win ratio of only 21% aside (8/38), their performances often flattered to deceive, as witnessed by the fact four of Dyche's five top-flight triumphs yielded an identical 1-0 scoreline. 

Much of the Toffees' problems emanated from a poor-performing frontline, with only Wolverhampton Wanderers (31) netting fewer Premier League goals than the Goodison side (34) last term.

Everton's nerve-shredding fight for survival lasted until the final weekend as Abdoulaye Doucoure's winner against Bournemouth fired the Merseyside outfit two points clear of 18th-placed Leicester City.

What needs to be done?

As evidenced by Everton's pre-season, a lack of firepower remains the team's Achilles heel, requiring a swift intervention in the transfer market from the board. 

Except for a 2-1 win over Swiss second-tier Stade Nyonnais in their opening summer friendly, the Toffees have failed to score more than once in their three remaining exhibition contests. 

Indeed, a dismal 0-0 draw against third-tier Bolton Wanderers, sandwiched by a brace of narrow 1-0 victories over Stoke City and Wigan Athletic, cannot inspire much confidence in Dyche's camp.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Neal Maupay failed to quench the Merseysiders' goalscoring thirst in 2022/23, urging club owner Farhad Moshiri to dive into the market for attacking reinforcements. 

Arnaut Danjuma's arrival on loan from Villarreal looks decent on paper.

However, the Dutch forward alone may not be enough to address Everton's scoring woes, particularly in light of a disappointing six-month spell at Tottenham Hotspur last term.

As per the Daily Mail, Everton and Sporting Lisbon have found an agreement for prodigious striker Youssef Chermiti to move to Goodison as part of Dyche's quest to strengthen his frontline. 

While the 19-year-old could be a massive coup for the future, it's questionable whether he could be an immediate difference-maker the Toffees desperately need. 

The signing of Ashley Young on a free transfer from Aston Villa will bring experience and stability at the back. Yet Everton must consider adding a creative midfielder in the coming weeks.

It's unjust to put all the blame on Dyche's unprolific attacking department when they had no support in the engine room. 

Doucoure, Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye excel in breaking the opponents' attacks, but they contribute very little in the front third. 

Everton's midfield hopelessly lacks creativity, and they should focus on solving that issue by the end of the summer. 

New season comes with low expectations

Dyche's only task in the upcoming season will be to lead Everton away from troubled waters, though it won't be a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination. 

Despite ending a miserable 2022/23 campaign in joyous scenes at Goodison, the Toffees danced too close to the edge again, jangling fans' nerves until the final moments.

Known for extracting every ounce from limited resources, Dyche is Everton's best hope of avoiding another season-long fight against the drop.

But the Goodison faithful should brace themselves up for another frustrating campaign, just in case.

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