Everton Sign Players with Their Futures Ahead

It was always going to be a tough summer transfer window for Everton to navigate, with off-pitch matters being a topic of discussion for a while. Manager Sean Dyche himself has bemoaned the lack of funds available, even though Amadou Onana was sold to Aston Villa in a big money deal. However, the business the Toffees did do was telling.

Everton were tipped to struggle this season, and Premier League betting odds suggest this remains the case. This is primarily due to the financial situation at the club, which has had a knock-on effect for several seasons, leading to points deductions. As the club attempts to move forward, you could argue they have one eye on the future, as five of their new arrivals are aged twenty-four and under, with only backup goalkeeper Asmir Begovic (37), who has returned to Goodison Park, and former Nottingham Forest man, Orel Mangala (26), loaned from Lyon, breaching that age.

Arriving have been Irish centre-back Jake O'Brien (23), also from Lyon. Midfielders Tim Iroegbunam (21) and Jesper Lindstrom (24) from Aston Villa and Napoli, respectively. And forwards Iliman Ndiaye (24) and Armando Broja (22) joining from Marseille and Chelsea. It’s clear there’s been a plan to acquire younger, fresher players, be it on permanent deals or on loan, and this has been carried out to a tee by the club.

Everton, as early results have shown, are going to be up against it at times this season, naturally. But, in manager Dyche, they have someone who is experienced when it comes to these situations, as seen from his time at Burnley, where they often struggled but always seemed to manage to have enough about them to keep their heads above water, usually against the odds.

Dyche is renowned for demanding that his players are committed and show character but also that they’re physically fit and capable of doing the work required to compete on this front against fellow Premier League outfits. So, bringing in players aged twenty-four and under makes a lot of sense in this respect. They should have the legs to compete physically, even if they’re outgunned on the ability front.

In total, Dyche can call on eleven players in his first team squad, twenty-four and under, with five of those eleven new additions. Again, this shows there was always a desire to bring down the average age and provide youthful energy to a group of players where there are eight aged thirty and over, with starters Seamus Coleman (35), Ashley Young (39) and Idrissa Gueye (34), elder statesmen of the game.

It remains to be seen whether this strategy pays off as Everton and Dyche expect it to. A drawback will be that the Toffees must wait for Broja, who signed on loan from Chelsea with the option to buy to recover from injury. However, it’s reported they won’t be contributing towards his wages until the Albanian is fully fit and playing again, which could be October time.

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