Joe Thomas – could this be the answer at right back?
So, my first answer to this is Iliman Ndiaye – the interest has been there for a long time and he is a player who could really offer a new attacking threat to the squad. Everton have forwards but he could play as a support striker behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, potentially allowing Abdoulaye Doucoure to drop a bit deeper and perhaps giving Youssef Chermiti the chance to build on his impressive cameos last season with a development loan. While not the same player, he could be a lot of what we hoped Arnaut Danjuma would be.
I know Paul has gone for Ndiaye below, so I am going for a different approach. Working on the basis free transfers and loan deals will still be the most likely, I would consider taking a look at Ben Johnson. I am worried about the right back position. It was an area of real concern and turbulence last season. It is great that Seamus Coleman has signed a new deal and he will be important on and off the pitch. But he has struggled with injuries over recent years, as has younger option Nathan Patterson, who has now finished all three seasons in which he has been a Blue on the treatment table. Ben Godfrey played there in the second half of the campaign, but he is not a right back. Johnson is out of contract at West Ham United and offers the opportunity for Everton to snap up a specialist right back with lots of Premier League experience who, at 24, could provide a free solution to a problematic area for a long time, or at least offer long term competition to Patterson should his body finally allow him the chance to make a proper challenge to cement his position. For me, Johnson is low-risk move with a potentially high ceiling in a position Everton need to address.
There was a lot of apprehension going into this summer transfer window from Evertonians, but the early signs have been cautiously positive.
A ridiculous £35 million bid for Jarrad Branthwaite was treated with the disdain it deserved, while the club appear to be close to bringing in two players. Jack Harrison, on loan from Leeds United, is one we know all about, while Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa represents an intriguing prospect in midfield.
It’s clear work still needs to be done for the Blues though, as a number of departures at the end of the season left the squad looking a little light. And while Everton have stood firm on Branthwaite for now, it would not be a shock to see a sizeable offer lodged for him, Amadou Onana or Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the coming weeks.
So what’s next?
As things stand, the squad still lacks creativity – an attribute which will be diminished further by the departure of Lewis Dobbin.
In Harrison and Dwight McNeil the Blues have dependable and dogged wingers that suit the way Sean Dyche wants to play. The Everton boss will require and X-factor from the bench though, not to mention cover should one of the aforementioned pair gets injured.
