'Coasting towards season's end' not an option
There will be plenty of pre-match pomp and circumstance at Goodison on Saturday, prior to Everton's Premier League match with already relegated Ipswich Town.There are only two games left at the famous old stadium and given that every ticket for their final home match of the campaign against Southampton has long since sold out, for some Blues fans this might be their last chance to soak up the atmosphere at the place where they have worshipped for all their Evertonian lives.The countdown to 'Goodbye to Goodison' is picking up pace and, in all honesty, for most of the supporters there is not much else at stake.For David Moyes, his staff and his players, the picture is very different.The Blues boss has done an unbelievable job since returning as manager. Premier League football for next season, their first at their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, was guaranteed with room to spare. But another big task awaits him. Making sure he has a squad that can be competitive next season will not be easy.His record in the transfer market shows he has an eye for talent but the type of players he wants will likely be targeted by other clubs. He will have to use all his managerial know-how to paint a picture of a promising future and brave new world at Everton.But overhauling the current squad and bringing in the players with the pace, power and personality to take Everton to the next level will be quite a task. There are plenty in the current squad that he will wish to keep and some of those will be wanted by other clubs. There are also some that will not be part of future plans and maybe it is still make-your-mind-up time for some of them. The Friedkin Group will provide a much bigger transfer chest than Everton have had for years but that will not be big enough to transform this squad to Moyes' requirements in one, or maybe even two transfer windows. The players in that final group will know who they are. Perhaps they can still have a big say in shaping their own futures. Coasting towards season's end is not an option for Moyes - it never has been.Listen to Total Sport Merseyside from 18:00 on weeknights and find details here of live Everton match commentaries on BBC Radio MerseysideExplore Everton content on BBC Sounds
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
19 minutes ago
- The National
Ex-Rangers player 'in the frame' for vacant Motherwell job
Adam is said to have departed his role as Everton's set-piece coach in the hope of returning to the dugout after his first taste of management at Fleetwood Town last year. The Daily Record report that Adam is under consideration by the Fir Park board, who are still on the lookout for Michael Wimmer's successor just weeks after the Austrian quit his job. Read more: It has been reported elsewhere that Central Coast Mariners boss Mark Jackson is also in contention. The former Leeds Under-23s coach, who mainly plied his trade in the lower leagues of England, has won the A-League Premiership and Championship. He also tasted success with the Asian Champions League Two title. Both Robbie Neilson and Tony Docherty have been linked to the job too.
Metro
24 minutes ago
- Metro
Liverpool and Chelsea sent clear message over Hugo Ekitike transfer
Eintracht Frankfurt have told Liverpool and Chelsea they will not lower their asking price for striker Hugo Ekitike. The highly-rated 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League following a breakout season at Frankfurt. Ekitike had never hit double digits before the 2024-25 campaign but netted 22 goals in his first full season with Eintracht Frankfurt. The Frenchman's form helped Frankfurt finish third in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen and go deep in the Europa League before they were knocked out by eventual winners Tottenham. Both Liverpool and Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Ekitike this summer as Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca look to bring some firepower to Anfield and Stamford Bridge. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. Liverpool of course won the Premier League last season but did so playing without a recognised striker for most of the campaign. One of the forwards already at Anfield, Darwin Nunez, is expected to move on amid interest from clubs in Italy, Germany and Saudi Arabia. Chelsea are also interested in a deal for Ekitike despite welcoming England U21 striker Liam Delap to the club last week in a £30m deal from Ipswich Town. The Premier League clubs are hoping Frankfurt will lower their asking price for Ekitike, who they value at €100m (£84m). However, the German club appear ready to stand firm on that valuation, with sporting director Markus Krosche insisting they do not have to sell Ekitike this summer. 'If the price isn't right, then he'll just stay with us,' he told Wiesbadener Kurier. 'We don't have to sell Hugo.' Ex-England defender Micah Richards recently revealed Arsenal legend Thierry Henry's verdict on Ekitike. 'In terms of Ekitike, I've spoken to Thierry Henry about him a lot,' Manchester City hero Richards told The Rest is Football podcast. 'He says he's not [necessarily] a frustrating player, but one minute he looks amazing and the next minute he doesn't really do the basics very well. 'But he said if he gets it right and improves then his ceiling could be very, very high.' Richards, meanwhile, is unsure whether Ekitike is an ideal fit for Slot's Liverpool ahead of their Premier League title defence. He added: 'It depends on how they want to play. Do they want a striker who can stretch or they do they want a striker who is going to come to feet and interlink play? More Trending 'Ekitike is not bad on the ball but he's more of a stretch striker than a [Roberto] Firmino coming in deep and linking play. 'Where does Florian Wirtz fit into that? Where does Dominik Szoboszlai fit into that? Where does Luis Diaz potentially fit into that. 'If they get Wirtz I think they may be looking for more a player who can drop and Diaz can play a little bit deeper. He played a lot as a No.9 this season. 'But talent wise he's definitely got enough to add to this Liverpool side.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: 'He'll probably go there' – Premier League star expects team-mate to join Liverpool MORE: AC Milan in talks to sign second Arsenal star along with Oleksandr Zinchenko MORE: Enzo Maresca told Chelsea fans would have preferred £64m striker to Liam Delap
Daily Mirror
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Todd Boehly's call from Chelsea star's reps to confirm 'impossible' stance
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was given a baptism of fire not long after purchasing the club in 2022. And it was thanks to Romelu Lukaku, whose agent wasted no time informing the new chairman his client would in no uncertain terms be leaving the club that summer. American businessman Boehly, 51, fronted the BlueCo consortium's successful £4.25billion take over of Chelsea three summers ago. The sale moved quickly after the previous owner, Roman Abramovich, was instructed by the British government to sell up due to his ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who started his invasion against Ukraine earlier that year. What followed was months of uncertainty as one of the most controversial transactions in sporting history was carried out. The period is detailed in a new book, 'Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC', which revealed representatives acting on behalf of Lukaku actually helped restore some normality. "It is claimed the first call fielded by Boehly on Chelsea after his consortium had purchased the Premier League club came from the representatives of Romelu Lukaku," read the passage. "It was to inform him that the Belgium striker would not be staying at Stamford Bridge under any circumstances. "Which can feel strange, the conversation suddenly going back to football matters after three months of complete chaos in the aftermath of Abramovich announcing his intention to sell his beloved Blues. "But then, in a nice way, that call to confirm Lukaku's stance represented normality, which is all that Chelsea ever wanted after their very existence as a giant of the English game was threatened." Lukaku got his wish, in a way, as he completed a season-long loan move to Inter Milan barely one week after Boehly was named chairman. The Belgian wouldn't leave on permanent terms until two years later when he joined Napoli for a fee of around £25million. The episode gave Boehly a preview of just how quickly things can move in football. And the fact his takeover was confirmed during a summer transfer window simply expedited the process. Boehly came to west London with considerable experience in leading sports organisations already. He owns a minority share in Major League Baseball outfit the Los Angeles Dodgers and bought a stake in NBA giants the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2021. But neither of those deals were as big as his takeover at Chelsea, nor did they come under such contentious circumstances. The manner in which the Blues was forced to auction brought unwelcome attention, not to mention being an entirely unique kind of business deal. But as author Nick Purewal notes, Lukaku's signal acted as a kind of equaliser following such a period of unrest. A reminder that despite the delirium that preceded Boehly's arrival, it was time to get back to footballing matters. And after initially struggling to see much momentum from the team, Boehly's reign finally appears to be taking flight. A return to the Premier League's top four after two seasons away, as well as the Europa Conference League crown, holds promise for what's to come under the American.
