- David Moyes spearheads a bold new era backed by The Friedkin Group.
- Strategic recruitment targets like Tomas Soucek signal shift in transfer policy.
- Everton fights to retain James Garner amid heavy interest from Man Utd.
It’s going to be a huge summer of change at Finch Farm and the Hill Dickinson. Quite how huge largely depends on where the Toffees finish in the Premier League.
The dream of a Champions League place is just that for the moment, but if it did miraculously happen, the funds available for the summer transfer spree would soar.
Not quite so much if the end-of-season prize is a place in the Europa League or the Europa Conference League, but the squad would still need bolstering considerably to enable it to cope with the additional games.
Moye to extend?
Key to it all, of course, is the future of David Moyes and his relationship with The Friedkin Group, which together has already brought stability to the club alongside a burning ambition to make it better.
So successful has been that partnership that there are reportedly talks ongoing to extend Moyes’ contract. No longer, it seems, is he seen as the stop-gap manager, who’s keeping the seat warm for a big name
The transformation under Moyes, who took over from Sean Dyche with the club staring relegation in the face, has been startling. Alongside the move to the new stadium, there is a renewed belief among the Everton faithful, and with good reason.
The new deal for the Scot is expected to grant him significantly more control over recruitment and will mark a significant shift away from the erratic transfer policies of recent seasons.
Returning to West Ham for Czech?
Talking of which, rumours aplenty are starting to circulate on who will be on the shopping list, with one name that constantly crops up being midfielder Tomas Soucek, who Moyes obviously worked with at West Ham
The suggestion is that Moyes is pushing hard for the board to sign the Czech international, as he sees him as the long-term replacement for the Toffees veteran Idrissa Gueye.
Also being heavily linked is Fulham’s Welsh international Harry Wilson, who looks to be ‘winding down’ his Fulham contract. Everton have reportedly already established contact with Wilson’s people and sees him as a potential bargain to bolster their creative options moving forward.
However, the flip side of being in a good place is the unwanted attention it brings from the so-called ‘Big Six’, which oddly still seems to include Tottenham.
James Garner, who made an impressive England debut last night, is said to be a primary target for Manchester United, from whom Everton bought him in September 2022.
No more fire-fighting
United are also said to be tracking centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite. The 23-year-old, who has spent much of this season on the sidelines through injury, was rumoured to have also been on their radar last summer but instead signed a five-year deal for the Toffees.
There is also the prospect of Moyes losing the services of Jack Grealish if Manchester City cannot be persuaded to part with him for a cut-price £20m-£30m. Again, much will depend on the club’s Premier League finishing position.
So, still plenty of unknowns, but what is clear is that the club has moved away from the era of relegation worries and fire-fighting. And that, in itself, is huge.
