Everton Season Preview – Will Marco Silva finally stick around?
Last season was a disaster for Everton and they will hope for better fortunes this time around under new manager Marco Silva. The Toffees wanted the Portuguese in November but have finally landed the 41-year-old and will hope he can guide the Toffees back into European contention. They finished 14 points adrift of sixth and the benchmark for Silva will be to better last season’s point’s haul of 49. Silva is in danger of building a reputation for using clubs as stepping stones for his own career and that cannot afford to happen here.
One to watch – Cenk Tosun
Cenk Tosun’s first six months at Everton were underwhelming to say the least but Everton have not signed a striker this summer, suggesting the Toffees will keep the faith with their £27m investment. Everton will hope Tosun will benefit from his first pre-season at the club, coupled with the return to fitness of creative maestro Gylfi Sigurdsson. Of the 12 starts Tosun made for Everton last term, only four were shared with Sigurdsson on the pitch. With new signing Richarlison also bolstering their attacking options, there should now be the conditions for Tosun to make a meaningful impact at the club.
Best signing – Lucas Digne
Everton have only made two signings this summer at the time of writing, spending in excess of £40m to reunite Richarlison to Silva and prising Lucas Digne away from Barcelona in an £18m deal. The price paid for Richarlison raised serious eyebrows, considering he failed to register a goal or an assist in his final 23 appearances for the Hornets. However, the capture of Digne is an impressive one, given the last five years of his career has been spent at Barcelona, Roma and Paris Saint-Germain. With Leighton Baines due to turn 34 at the end of the year, it was imperative Everton signed his long-term replacement this summer and now they have in Digne.
🇫🇷 | Bienvenue, @LucasDigne! #EFC
— Everton (@Everton) August 1, 2018
👉 https://t.co/FnStiRzydB pic.twitter.com/PkKWnUQ4S9
Area of Weakness
Everton were a shambles at the back last season, conceding 58 times. In fact, they haven’t conceded more in a single league campaign since the 2000/01 campaign (59 goals). It’s no surprise that Siva is aggressively pursuing a new centre-back in the transfer market but they have so far been unsuccessful. South American duo Yerry Mina and Marcos Rojo have been linked with a move to Goodison Park, but the Toffees are not in an advanced stage in discussions with either. As things stand, Everton are heading into the new campaign short at the heart of their defence, leaving Silva with the prospect of picking between Ashley Williams and Phil Jagielka, who have combined age of 68, to partner Michael Keane.
Prediction / Best Bet
Usually considered a certainty to finish in the top half of the table, Everton will have a real challenge on their hands this season given the way some of their rivals have strengthened in the transfer market. Wolves, Fulham, West Ham and Leicester will all have their eyes on top-10 finishes and you can get odds of 2.75 for Everton to finish in the bottom half of the table with SkyBet.
