da bwin： Everton are leading the charge in the transfer market this summer, spending the most of any Premier League club and already signing ten players – five of which look set to go straight into the first team.
da pinup bet： The unprecedented outlay for the Merseyside club has certainly got the fans and neutrals talking in increasing anticipation for a 2017/18 season in which Ronald Koeman will hope his side can make a genuine bid for Champions League qualification.
But there are always winners and losers when it comes to the transfer window and Everton’s is no different. With that in mind, here’s a look at three winners and three losers from the Goodison Park outfit’s shopping spree thus far.
Winners – Last season’s bottom six
The beauty of the Premier League’s top clubs spending more lavishly and audaciously than ever before, at least from the perspective of the neutrals, is that the wealth quickly trickles down the division – and in this instance, even a bracket further down the English pyramid.
Everton have recruited with a delicate mix of Premier League experience and foreign flair this summer, a strategy that has already seen them shell out around £60million on two players who finished in last season’s bottom six – Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Burnley defender Michael Keane.
And if rumours are to be believed, they could end up acquiring Gylfi Sigurdsson for more than £40million, helping out another one of last term’s relegation threatened sides in Swansea City.
Added altogether, that’s around £100million going into last term’s bottom six – a cash injection which, if utilised shrewdly, should strengthen all three of the teams involved. In financial terms, last season’s relegation-fearing mini-league are the biggest benefactors of Everton’s transfer splurge thus far.
Winner – Wayne Rooney
To say Wayne Rooney’s fallen on his feet this summer would be a bit of an understatement. The best-paid player in the Premier League entering inevitable decline to the extent that he’s managed just 13 league goals over the last two seasons usually means an obligatory move to the MLS or more recently, the Chinese Super League.
But rather than going abroad for a final pay-out, Rooney’s found a club only just below the level Manchester United will be looking to compete at next season – in fact, they finished only one place behind the Red Devils last term – and is still reportedly picking up £160k per week.
United even waived a transfer fee to make the deal happen, and allegedly threw in a £10million parting gift. And of course, it’s not just any club Rooney has joined, but the club he’s adored since childhood, situated in his home city, where the fans worship him.
For a once-world-class entity in need of a new home for the remainder of his career, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Loser – Ross Barkley
A few months ago, Everton fans were fretting over Ross Barkley’s contract situation, wondering how their side would fare without the England international at the tip of midfield.
But amid all the exciting arrivals, not least including Wayne Rooney and Davy Klaassen who can both play in Barkley’s position, the 23-year-old contract rebel has been almost completely forgotten about – he hasn’t even travelled with the pre-season squad.
Despite this, potential suitors aren’t exactly forthcoming either, with Spurs seemingly the keenest but unwilling to match Everton’s valuation. In any other summer, that might have been a real problem for the Toffees. But with two attacking midfield signings already under their belt, Everton can afford to hold out until someone meets their £50million asking price. Barkley, meanwhile, is stuck in limbo.
Winners – The Fans
For much of the Premier League era, Everton fans have been forced to accept the club’s place in the hierarchy; capable of competing with the division’s top clubs on any given matchday, but lacking the funds to do it consistently over the course of a season or to naturally evolve from that status.
But Farhad Moshiri’s investment last summer, combined with the Premier League’s latest TV deal truly coming into effect and the revenue from Romelu Lukaku’s move to Manchester United, has suddenly changed all that.
The Toffees have been amongst the biggest spenders in Europe so far this summer let alone the Premier League and for supporters who once had to make do with David Moyes’ bargain signings for entertainment during the offseason, the current shopping spree is a welcome breath of fresh air.
It’s also created a real sense of optimism around the club; Everton fans have endured false dawns before, but this summer really feels like a watershed moment that will push the club up the table.
Loser – Ronald Koeman
Of course, no manager can shy away from the chance to transform a squad in the way Ronald Koeman has been able to this summer, but there’s one obvious disadvantage to overseeing the most expensive transfer window in the club’s history – the expectancy that comes with it.
Brendan Rodgers’ post-Luis Suarez’ splurge at Liverpool and Andre Villas-Boas’ disastrous recruitment in the wake of Gareth Bale’s move to Real Madrid provide stark warnings to the Dutch manager.
If he can’t get all the new signings to gel quickly, there will be huge pressure on him to turn things around and justify a transfer bill exceeding the £100million mark.
Rodgers was given one season to prove he’d made the right calls in the market; Villas-Boas, on the other hand, was given just six months. Opinions can change furiously quickly in the Premier League and for all the affection going Koeman’s way at the minute, a poor start to the season could soon see the criticism mount up.
Worryingly, Everton face four of last season’s top six in their first five Premier League fixtures.
Losers – The Kids
Whether by consequence or design, chances for young players was perhaps the biggest success story of Koeman’s first season in the Everton dugout. Mason Holgate stepped in superbly for the injured Seamus Coleman at right-back, whilst Tom Davies made one of the central midfield slots his own through his tidiness in possession.
Likewise, five members of the U20 squad that won England’s first World Cup earlier this summer were Everton players – including the man who provided the winning goal in the final, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
But with five major first-team signings under Koeman’s belt already, you have to wonder how many opportunities that young rabble will get next term – especially if the aforementioned pressure to justify the large spend starts to build.
Morgan Schneiderlin and Idrissa Gueye look nailed on to start next season, so will Davies get a place in midfield over Klaassen? Will Calvert-Lewin or Lookman claim a spot in attack over Sandro Ramirez or Rooney, especially with Yannick Bolasie to come back as well?
As is often the case in the Premier League, it could well turn out to be that the biggest losers of Koeman’s summer spending are the exciting cohort of Everton youngsters who have shown so much promise for club and country since the turn of 2017.
WATCH THE LATEST 442OONS VIDEO BELOW…