Latest news with #JordanPickford
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Liam Delap update, Idrissa Gueye decision, major contract news - Everton transfer stock take
Everton start a busy summer with a lot of work to do. The Blues ended the season on a high, with three consecutive wins cementing the club in 13th place and capping off a sensational turnaround from the relegation fight David Moyes inherited in January. Advertisement He wants Everton to be looking up the table, not down it, but that will be no easy feat given the extent of the job at hand. The club finished the campaign with 15 players on expiring deals and Moyes will have to work hard to craft a squad capable of dealing with the threat from below - Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United will be expected to improve dramatically next season - while playing catch-up to the sides that finished above Everton. The first priority is to finalise which of the many out of contract players will be offered new deals - a process that remains ongoing. Another is to appoint the final members of the club's new-look recruitment team. With Everton desperate to exploit the potential this summer offers, this is the state-of-play. READ MORE: Everton handed major Carlos Alcaraz transfer boost as priority deadline nears READ MORE: Goodison Park shook and Everton had hope - dramatic Bournemouth win in the words of those behind it Advertisement Goalkeepers: A job that has been added to the long 'to-do' list Jordan Pickford captained Everton in their final day win at Newcastle United and was exceptional again. His latest clean sheet left him with 12 for the season, behind only Arsenal's David Raya and Nottingham Forest's Matz Sels. It was some achievement for a player who has done more than any other, on the pitch at least, to protect Everton's Premier League status through recent dark years. While Pickford offers Everton an international-quality option in a key position, there is work to do behind him. Opportunities for Joao Virginia and Asmir Begovic have been limited but Virginia proved a capable back-up in cup competitions while Moyes repeatedly spoke of the leadership qualities of Begovic. That both are set to leave, with the club having opted not to trigger its extension for Virginia, comes as a surprise given how important stability in the goalkeeping department has been to keeping Pickford on top form. It adds another job to the lengthy 'to-do' list as Moyes will need to bring in at least one more option behind Pickford. Advertisement Harry Tyrer played 38 games in League One for Blackpool this season, a stint that followed success in the National League with Chesterfield the previous year. He would be the most senior back-up at Everton should Billy Crellin, who spent this year on loan at Accrington Stanley, not be offered a new deal. Even becoming third-choice would represent a significant step up for both, so Everton enter this summer looking for a back-up goalkeeper who has had some exposure to top-level first team football. Centre backs: A problem David Moyes was desperate to avoid Preparations for the summer began some time ago and Moyes quickly knew his starting point. The Blues boss has long-seen the foundation of his new-look Blues being the axis of Pickford, James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite. Advertisement Banking on both has become more fraught than he would have hoped. Tarkowski ended the season with a hamstring injury that poses a headache for Moyes. The 32-year-old is key to his plans but his game is built around his strength and durability. The injury required surgery and, while that is thought to have gone well, there was an expectation the recovery could eat into Tarkowski's pre-season. The hope is the centre back returns as the player Everton have relied so heavily on since his arrival three years ago. Until he makes his comeback there will be lingering fears over whether his first serious injury in years will have any long-term consequences. Moyes enters the summer aware there may be interest in Tarkowski's partner Branthwaite and keen to stave it off. The 22-year-old is central to his plans and holding onto him would represent a significant statement of intent heading into the new stadium. Chelsea are one of several potential suitors rumoured to be looking at the England starlet and, should they show greater respect than Manchester United did last year, could test Everton's resolve should they be willing to approach the club's valuation of the player. Last year that was north of £60m and that will be the case again given the new-found financial stability provided by owners The Friedkin Group. Advertisement While Everton will be reluctant to sell Branthwaite, club chiefs are expected to be pragmatic with sensible offers for key players this summer, particularly given the additional leeway any sale could have on the club's Profit and Sustainability calculations - before and after the June 30 fiscal deadline. The good news for Moyes is that, disappointing as it was to lose Tarkowski for the final month of the season, it allowed him to test Jake O'Brien in his favoured position. No player benefitted more through Moyes' appointment than O'Brien, who was signed amid fanfare in the summer but sidelined by Sean Dyche. O'Brien proved a capable option on the right of the defence and was impressive at Newcastle in the middle. The success of the towering centre back means that, should Tarkowski suffer a setback in his rehabilitation, or Everton receive an offer for Branthwaite that is too good to turn down, Moyes already has a solution. His problem is if Branthwaite is sold and Tarkowski is unable to undergo a strong pre-season. It is concerns around that which have led Moyes to think so carefully about the future of Michael Keane. Keane is out of contract and for most of this season had been expected to depart. There has been interest from Italy and the USA at various points this year, while he was set to be a target of Sheffield United had they won promotion from the Championship. Advertisement Moyes rates Keane's professionalism highly and with the potential for uncertainty ahead of him is considering whether he could be retained beyond the summer. Keane was excellent in the away win at Fulham, in which he scored, and at Newcastle on the final day. For Keane, Moyes represents a known quantity and, should he leave, the Blues boss would need to add a fourth-choice centre back to his list for this summer. Mason Holgate, who has spent the past two seasons on loan, is expected to depart this summer. Full-backs: A new chance to solve an old problem The right back position has been problematic for Everton for several years. It was accepted this was an area that needed strengthening last summer but, with money tight, the club gambled on being able to muddle through with veterans Seamus Coleman and Ashley Young, injury-plagued Nathan Patterson and, should it come to it, James Garner. At first, that plan looked problematic. Patterson and Coleman started the season injured and when Young was sent off on the first day of the campaign, Dyche turned to Holgate for the final minutes of the hammering by Brighton and Hove Albion. It was a decision that went down so badly, Under-21s youngster Roman Dixon started the next game at Tottenham Hotspur. Advertisement Young is leaving the club but Patterson will remain under contract and Moyes wants Coleman to extend his stay. He accepts Coleman's body is likely to prevent him from having an impact on the pitch - the 36-year-old was protected for the Goodison farewell against Southampton but lasted just 20 minutes. But he wants the leadership of the club captain in the dressing room during a summer of major transition. That opens the door for Patterson to finally nail down the right back slot. To do so, he will have to overcome serious competition though, with Everton entering the market open to finding a new first choice option. The Scotland international has had good spells on Merseyside but injuries have repeatedly halted his momentum and recent months have suggested Moyes has question marks over the former Rangers player. The Blues boss played O'Brien out of position ahead of the 23-year-old for months and was then frustrated with both Patterson and Vitalii Mykolenko in the build-up to the Ipswich Town equaliser at Goodison. He opted to start Young ahead of Patterson at Newcastle. Work is also expected at left back, an area Moyes accepted needed strengthening when he was appointed in January. Mykolenko's attacking threat has grown under Moyes and he provided the assist for Carlos Alcaraz's winner at St James' Park - adding to the one he picked up at Brentford when he crossed for O'Brien to score. But with Young having departed it is accepted Mykolenko needs competition and cover, so Everton's search this summer will include options on both sides of the defence. Advertisement Central Midfield: Moving away from a reliance on Idrissa Gueye Idrissa Gueye was the most impressive performer during the second half of the season and his influence belied his age. He is out of contract but he is one of the players whose future is being actively discussed and the 35-year-old showed few signs of dropping off as he continued to operate relentlessly in the middle. With the departure of Abdoulaye Doucoure, a player whose importance was undeniable across recent seasons, the loss of Gueye would leave a gaping hole in a midfield Moyes already wanted to improve. Should the Senegal international remain, there will still be efforts to create the midfield of the future around him given his age. James Garner will be around to support that transition. He became integral to Moyes in the final weeks of the season but enters the final year of his contract in July and so his future, potentially a new contract, will require thought. Advertisement This is an area Moyes believed Everton needed to strengthen in January - even before loanee Orel Mangala's season ended with ligament damage at Brighton - but was unable to find a way to do so. At the time he looked at Chelsea's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Sean Longstaff and he retains an interest in both going into the summer. There is no expectation from Everton that Dewsbury-Hall will be available but Longstaff is surplus to requirements at Newcastle and is on the Blues' radar as Moyes assesses his options. Teen starlet Harrison Armstrong will be considered when pre-season begins with Moyes having travelled to watch the midfielder during his impressive loan spell in the Championship with Derby County while Tim Iroegbunam, who ended the season with a groin injury, will be another option. Moyes was keen to add goals to his midfield even before Doucoure's departure was signed off so will begin the summer searching for players who can produce in front of goal. He maintains admiration for Tomas Soucek, a favourite of his at West Ham United, but claims Everton have made enquiries for the Czech international have been dismissed at Finch Farm. A reunion with James Ward-Prowse has not been explored despite Moyes' frustration at the quality of set pieces since his return. Securing Alcaraz then further upgrading Everton's attacking midfield Another of Moyes' frustrations since January has been the lack of goals from the roles supporting his striker. The failure to provide a consistent thread of goals and assists has led to the returns of Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison to their parent clubs, for now at least and was the reason Moyes opted against a move for Lyon winger Ernest Nuameh upon his arrival. Advertisement The departures of Lindstrom and Harrison mean Everton start the summer with no recognised senior right wingers. Dwight McNeil, Garner and Iliman Ndiaye have been used there but this is clearly a priority area for Moyes. Outgoing director of football Kevin Thelwell hoped to find a long-term solution last summer but his pursuits of Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto, Newcastle's Yankuba Minteh and Jaden Philogene, then of Hull City, were unsuccessful. This is an area Everton want to address and it is not lost on anyone at the club that, with the search for a right back also underway, a new-look right side may need time to gel over pre-season. Ndiaye was one of the most impressive players of Everton's season and became a fan favourite following his move from Marseille, while McNeil is also a proven Premier League option on the left whose quality from set pieces adds to his value. Everton hope to make Carlos Alcaraz, who spent the second half of the season on loan from Flamengo, the club's first permanent signing of the summer and are confident a deal will be done by the end of May. There is also interest in Liverpool's Ben Doak, who has spent this season on loan with Middlesbrough. Advertisement Can Everton woo Liam Delap? Finally, Moyes has made no secret of his desire to tempt Liam Delap into a move to Everton. The striker, who scored 12 times in the league for relegated Ipswich Town, has held talks with the Blues as part of his exploration of the clubs keen to secure his signature - a long list that includes Manchester United and Chelsea. Everton can offer Delap the opportunity to be their leading forward and the star the new squad is built around as it moves to the state-of-the-art new stadium. It is expected Delap will make his decision in the coming days, with his release clause standing at £30m. What Everton do in the transfer market will largely depend on Delap's call. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has struggled with injuries but there is an acceptance his quality would be expensive to replace should he be able to stay fit. Meanwhile, Beto's goals proved crucial to pulling Everton to safety and the striker finished the season in solid form. A serious bid for the Guinea-Bissau forward would likely be contemplated but not if it was to strengthen a Premier League rival such as Leeds, who are reportedly interested in him. The forward line is one that remains fluid, therefore, and will likely depend on the knock-on effect of moves elsewhere in the market. Advertisement Youssef Chermiti adds a fourth option and he is likely to be assessed in pre-season, with his short term future potentially on loan. He has shown promise in glimpses but injuries have limited his exposure to first team football. Neal Maupay's loan move to Marseille included an obligation to make the move permanent, so he will not return.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Your Everton player of the season
We asked you to select your Everton player of the season from the four candidates chosen by our fan with the poll now closed, we can reveal the winner is... Jordan Pickford!Here's what Mike Richards at Unholy Trinity, external said about him:The biggest compliment I can pay England's number one is that his consistency has become his the usual apparent agenda against him from many who don't watch him every week, his importance for Everton has once again come the final poll breakdown
New York Times
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Everton's player of the season: Idrissa Gueye – into autumn of his career and never better
A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to pick Everton's player of the season. At that stage, the answer seemed pretty straightforward. Despite the notable contributions of others, I felt midfielder Idrissa Gueye had done more than anyone else to hold the team together across the whole campaign. But the Senegal midfielder's name formulated so quickly in my mind that I then started to have doubts. Others had their own compelling case to make. Advertisement In his first season at Everton, forward Iliman Ndiaye hit double figures for goals. The 25-year-old is a bona fide entertainer, eliciting a sense of excitement whenever he embarks on one of his characteristic surges forward with the ball, in a squad that has not had enough of them in recent years. Success-starved supporters have craved some joy, and Ndiaye has belatedly provided it. Then there are the routinely excellent displays of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, without whom Everton would have almost certainly suffered the ignominy of dropping into the Championship by now. Shot stopping is not the only element of goalkeeping to consider, but the England No 1 has prevented a league-high six goals this season with his saves. Pickford has developed into a remarkably consistent presence who has a pleasing habit of elevating his game to another level when the side needs him most. After brief dalliances elsewhere though, I came back round to Gueye, or 'Gana' as he is affectionately known by team-mates, friends and fans. At 35, we all keep expecting him to slow down. That is a sad inevitability at some point, but it has not happened yet — if anything, he is arguably playing as well as ever. 'He's getting better the older he gets,' his midfield colleague James Garner, 24, said after the 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest last month. 'He's a calm, assuring head alongside me. I'm still pretty young and still learning the game, and he's helped me massively.' Gueye's influence on the Everton team is two-fold. There's the experience and reassurance he brings, as well as the sense of cohesion. An elder statesman in the squad and a French speaker, he is a popular bridge between different groups in the dressing room — as close to Ndiaye and Abdoulaye Doucoure as he is to someone like long-time club captain Seamus Coleman. On the pitch, he remains the team's engine; someone whose ball-winning prowess still ranks among the best in the league. In terms of the raw numbers, he is top of the league for tackles, joint-sixth for recoveries and also in the top 10 for interceptions. Stats like these should always be placed into context. Everton have had the 18th lowest possession share in the league, so Gueye and his team-mates are being asked to defend more. But even adjusting for opportunity (per 1,000 touches), the former Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder is more than holding his own, as the below graphic shows. The 'true interceptions' metric considers blocked passes as well as interceptions. The formula for 'true tackles' is slightly more long-winded: tackles + challenges lost + fouls committed. In simple terms, Gueye is a prominent presence off the ball, performing a large volume of actions, and doing so with a high success rate. If there was a standout moment across the season as a whole, it was probably the 1-0 win away at Brighton & Hove Albion in January — a game in which Everton had spent the final five minutes plus stoppage time a player down due to Orel Mangala's injury. After withstanding wave after wave of pressure, it was telling that Gueye was the one team-mates and coaching staff first embraced on the full-time whistle. Advertisement During that match and other more turbulent moments of the season, the temptation was to wonder where Everton would have been without him. It almost certainly would not have been pretty. As he approaches the age of 36, and with his contract up this summer, the question at Everton has been how long he can keep going. Wherever he is playing his football, there will be an increasing focus on managing his minutes and his body. Even now, there are few doubts over his ability. 'Idrissa has done fantastically and he's surprised me a lot,' Everton manager David Moyes said last month. 'He's not a spring chicken and we're mindful of that. 'We've tried to rest him here and there, but he's done so well and kept playing. He's very good at breaking the play up and his experience is good. 'There's a certain group of players here who he's very helpful to and they see him as a top player and a gentleman as well. They rely on him a lot, but for me, he's done so well.' After a successful stint at PSG, Gueye rejoined Everton in the summer of 2022 keen to help steer the club through choppy waters. He has done that and more. He and his family have developed a deep-rooted connection to the club and the city. In a social media post from his wife Pauline after Goodison's final Premier League game, she spoke about their deep affection for the stadium and how they had 'built their family' on Merseyside. A post shared by Pauline Gueye (@paulinegueye_) As he approaches the twilight of his career, Gueye can rest assured that he has already cemented his legacy at Everton.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jordan Pickford opens up on 'mega' Everton song, Newcastle gauntlet and Sunderland promotion
Jordan Pickford believes that Everton fans drowning out Newcastle United's Champions League qualification celebrations by singing their new song for him following the full-time whistle at St James' Park was the perfect way to end the season. After supporters debuted the chant at Craven Cottage in their previous away game against Fulham, the Blues have now finished the campaign strongly with a hat-trick of lyrics of the ditty go: 'He hates Newcastle, he hates the s***e, Jordan Pickford is dynamite,' and the tune has certainly got the approval of England's number one. The 31-year-old, who was captaining the Blues, made a string of impressive saves to thwart Alexander Isak and Co. in the 1-0 victory. READ MORE: 'They know' - National media expose real reason behind Newcastle Jordan Pickford hate after Everton win READ MORE: What Jordan Pickford did quietly before kick off as Everton star has Newcastle on strings again And asked if he enjoyed the scenes at the end, Pickford said: 'Yeah, the fans are brilliant. They know what a passionate lad I am, they know how much I love the club and how much I do my best for the club. 'To repay me with that song, 4,000 Evertonians right up in the gods, it's a great moment and a great way to end the season. 'It's a really good song, it's got a good bounce to it shall we say. Finally as a football fan to have your own chant is mega. 'It's what football is all about, you're doing something right if the fans are buzzing off you.' Pickford's rapport with Blues fans was demonstrated in a video shared online before kick-off of him speaking on a video call to his friend with a pub full of Evertonians. He said: 'Cole, one of the lads I know, FaceTimed me when I was getting ready in the hotel and I just answered and didn't know what it was. They're just singing away in a pub down the road I think. 'They know how much I care and how much passion I show so it's always nice to get that recognition.' Unlike trips to Newcastle earlier in his career, when he would let the barracking from the stands get to him, Pickford produced another sparkling and mature display in the St James' Park cauldron to frustrate his opponents as his combined a string of spectacular stops with a controlled demeanour. And he said: 'I was all right. I made some good saves and I was in the moment. It's a big game for me and I always step up. That's the level I set myself and that's what I drive every day and train to be the best version of myself and I think I showed it today. 'That's when I'm at my best (when in control) and that's something I've been working on and something I'm improving all the time, maturing as well. 'That's my standard that I set myself and that's what I need to continue to do and that's what will bring a performance out of me.' In terms of the hot reception that he receives from the Newcastle fans, Pickford added: 'It's another game of football on a big stage in the Premier League and I've just got to be at my best. I know I'm going to get the stick, it's about how you control your emotions. 'I think my mentality is really high, I think one of the strongest mentalities I know in football and that's what I thrive off, that's what I put in those performances for.' Of course, the North East region will have a second team in the Premier League next season with Sunderland returning to the top flight for the first time since Pickford left them to join Everton for £25million in 2017, after coming from behind to defeat Sheffield United 2-1 in the Championship play-off final at Wembley. The Washington-born player revealed that he watched the match before travelling to Tyneside for this fixture. Pickford said: 'Fortunately our plane was a bit delayed so we just sat in the lounge watching it. It was a great win and all my mates were down there. 'I don't think the gaffer would have dared let me go down. I wouldn't have been here today! 'It's great for a club the size it is and how big it is as a club to see them back in the Premier League is going to be amazing, I can't wait to get up there and play them at the Stadium of Light, it's going to be a great moment for me.' Pickford is now back playing under Moyes, the manager who first elevated him to being a Premier League number one at Sunderland but also the boss who steered Everton to nine top-eight placings, including a highest-ever Premier League position of fourth in 2004/05, during his first spell at the club. Reflecting upon the second half of the campaign since the Scot's return to Goodison Park, Pickford said: 'It's been a great end to the season. For me, it's about next season, it's about pre-season, getting ready for that and setting that standard early. 'It's all about setting that standard early and not bouncing back at Christmas time and getting results, it is about sustaining it. You're going to get knocks, you're going to get beat, you can't be invincible. 'We'd love to be invincible as every team in the Premier League would be but it's about when you take those setbacks, how do you bounce back as a team? 'How do you work hard and train all week to get that performance on a Saturday? I think the manager will drill into us throughout the season and the manager has already said that.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Everton squad take dig at Newcastle as Jordan Pickford decision rattles home supporters
Everton ended their campaign with a satisfying win over a club they have battled intensely with across recent years. There was little surprise, therefore, when the celebrations after a rare win at St James' Park demonstrated some bite. Jordan Pickford is a pantomime villain for Newcastle and he once again had the last laugh with another top performance against his old foe. After the game, he was able to party on the pitch of his fiercest rivals while, in the dressing room, the squad cooked up their own dig at a team that once revelled in their misery. READ MORE: What Carlos Alcaraz did seconds after Everton goal as strongest possible transfer case made READ MORE: Everton farewells to spark transfer flurry as Anthony Gordon 'dive' gets perfect reaction That, and other talking points, are covered in this look at some of the scenes beyond the headlines after Carlos Alcaraz's goal earned Everton three more points on the road. Everton players have long memories There was one picture doing the rounds among the social media accounts of the Everton squad after the game, with most of the players sharing the same image of the team celebrating the win in the away dressing room. It may have looked like a run of the mill image to capture an impressive win that marks a satisfying end to the campaign, but the meaning ran far deeper than it would have looked to those outside the Everton bubble. The Blues now feel on the cusp of brighter days with new ownership, stable finances, and a manager who has delivered emphatically since his return in January. A summer of opportunity in the transfer market will combine with the move to the Hill Dickinson stadium to potentially launch Everton into a new era. The club has survived difficult times to get to this point, perhaps none more so than the hammering by Newcastle at Goodison Park two years ago. When Eddie Howe's side romped to a 4-1 win April 2023 it felt like a nadir for the club - for many it was the first time relegation to the Championship began to feel like a probability rather than a possibility. So it was particularly infuriating in the Everton dressing room that night to see the Newcastle players pose for a celebratory squad picture down the corridor. Two years on, after a big win in the North East, it clearly had not been forgotten. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Abdoulaye Doucouré (@abdoudux) Jordan Pickford rattles Newcastle supporters before HIS name dominates the airwaves The main character every time these clubs face each other is Pickford. Revered by Everton supporters for the heroics that have kept relegation at bay, the Newcastle supporters have long targeted him for his links to their arch-rivals Sunderland. Pickford has revelled in this and did so again on Sunday. Excellent in this game last year, he then saved a penalty as a depleted Everton earned a valuable point at Goodison earlier this season. His form against the Magpies led supporters to discuss whether to focus on him at all for fear it would spark another superb display and it was notable how few dinosaur costumes were visible in the home end - a stark contrast to recent years. Pickford was not going to shun an opportunity though. Captain for the day, he re-iterated his position as public enemy number one before kick-off by switching ends after winning the toss - meaning the hosts would not be able to attack the Gallowgate End in the second half. That was one of several chorus' of boos inspired by the former Sunderland shot stopper. The jeers eventually became sighs and groans of frustration though as he kept out Sandro Tonali, Alexander Isak, Dan Burn and Bruno Guimaraes with a string of important saves. For most of this match, in fact, the noise that dominated the airwaves was that of the Everton supporters celebrating Pickford with his new song. David Moyes' adds cheeky line to post-match interviews After the match, Moyes went to great lengths to praise Newcastle and Eddie Howe for the success they have enjoyed this season. There was also mischief on his mind - himself a former Sunderland boss who would have been pleased at the club's promotion to the Premier League 24 hours earlier. In the post-match press conference he let the silence linger before volunteering: 'Jordan enjoyed his clean sheet. He let the words hang for effect before adding: 'But it was a great team performance. It would have been easy for the players to be on the beach; instead we were magnificent.' There She Goes debuts in the away end The Everton away end has had some good afternoons since Moyes returned in January. At Fulham earlier this month, Pickford's new song became the big tune to take hold of the travelling thousands - that chant was popular again on Sunday and Pickford did little to hide his joy over it. A new addition to the songbook was There She Goes, by The La's. Having been belted out when the emotions were at their highest during the Goodison goodbye last week, this was the first attempt to make it work away from home. A few might need to swot up on some of the words over the summer but this will no doubt be on the soundtrack of the future. Moyes fails to heed his own advice After the match, Moyes told of his pride at how his players had produced such a dogged display in a game that meant little to Everton's season. He had feared a long afternoon after energy levels dipped at Finch Farm in the week - something he conceded was understandable in the aftermath of the Goodison farewell and with the Blues guaranteed 13th place. This match mattered to his players and it clearly mattered to him. During the first half, as Everton established themselves and it became increasingly clear the game presented an opportunity for the Blues, Moyes found himself on the edge of the pitch urging restraint and calm as momentum ebbed and flowed. They were instructions he was unable to heed himself though. Lively throughout, he repeatedly clashed with the officials on the touchline and often over minor calls like throw-ins. He ended up with a booking for his troubles. There was no end-of-season malaise in that Everton dressing room or dugout.
