Ranking every Everton so far by potential impact next season
Everton used to be renowned for their conservative nature in the transfer market, rarely spending high fees on players and instead relying on savvy scouting to get them by.
That has all changed now though thanks to the investment pumped into the club by part-owner Farhad Moshiri who has given his manager Ronald Koeman significant funds to bolster his squad.
The Toffees’ first game of the 2017/18 Premier League season at home to Stoke City is still some five weeks away but already the club has splashed out close to £100m on six new players.
Wayne Rooney’s return to his spiritual home 13 years after leaving for Manchester United has been their headline purchase of the summer so far but he is just the latest to sign a deal at the club.
Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane arrived from Sunderland and Burnley respectively, Davy Klaassen joined after captaining Ajax to the Europa League final, Sandro Ramirez has been snapped up from Malaga and Henry Onyekuru has arrived from KAS Eupen.
Of course, Everton have lost their top scorer from last season Romelu Lukaku who has joined Manchester United but their business this summer shows that they have lofty ambitions following a 7th place league finish last term.
The future looks bright for Everton but how influential will their six new signings prove to be? Taking a variety of factors into account, Squawka has attempted to rank them by their potential impact on Merseyside.
6. Henry Onyekuru
Signed from: KAS Eupen
Reported fee: £7m
Position: Winger
Age: 20
A player who clearly possesses considerable potential, Nigerian international Henry Onyekuru was strongly linked with Arsenal prior to signing a deal at Goodison Park.
Last season, Onyekuru was the joint-top goalscorer in the Belgian Pro League after plundering 22 goals in 38 appearances despite his club Eupen finishing just three places off the bottom of the table.
Everton fans will have to wait to see the exciting young forward wearing their colours, though, as soon after joining the club he sealed a return to Belgium by joining Anderlecht on a season-long loan deal.
5. Sandro Ramirez
Signed from: Malaga
Reported fee: £5.1m
Position: Striker
Age: 21
After learning his trade during a seven-year spell with Barcelona, Sandro Ramirez departed for Malaga last summer in search of greater first-team opportunities and it proved to be an inspired decision as he scored 14 goals in La Liga.
Given his age and potential, Sandro might well have commanded a fee four times as much as Everton paid for him in the current transfer climate, however they secured him cheaply due to a clause in his contract.
Sandro is undoubtedly a promising player but replacing Romelu Lukaku up front will be no easy task given the Belgian scored 25 goals in the Premier League last season.
The Las Palmas native will need time to adjust to English football but is a low-risk acquisition who has all the tools to succeed.
4. Davy Klaassen
Signed from: Ajax
Reported fee: £23.6m
Position: Centre Midfield
Age: 24
Ajax stunned Europe by reaching the Europa League final last season and while they ultimately tasted defeat to Manchester United, their young squad captained by Davy Klaassen were praised for their achievements.
In a team packed full of precocious teenagers, Klaassen demonstrated exceptional leadership skills throughout the campaign and Koeman will be hoping that his Dutch compatriot can have a similarly inspirational impact on the Everton team.
Klaassen is an intelligent attacking midfielder with an eye for goal as highlighted by his return of 13 goals in the Eredivisie last season and he is expected to replace Ross Barkley in the side with the Liverpudlian’s future in doubt.
3. Wayne Rooney
Signed from: Manchester United
Reported fee: Free
Position: Attacking Midfield/Striker
Age: 31
Wayne Rooney will be back in an Everton shirt next season.
Following 13 years of stellar service, Manchester United agreed to terminate Wayne Rooney’s contract a year early enabling him to seal a romantic return to Everton on a two-year deal.
Putting the ‘homecoming hero’ narrative to one side though, does this deal make sense for Everton? On the one hand, Rooney – a player who was unquestionably world-class in his peak years – is a declining force as his disappointing final season at Old Trafford highlights.
While he will expect to feature more prominently for Everton than he did at United, there is no guarantee that Rooney will be able to command a first-team place in the long-term judging by his performance levels in recent years.
However, while Rooney is no longer the player he once was, he is a serial winner, England and Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer and an exceptional leader. That experience and nous could be priceless off the pitch if not necessarily on it.
2. Michael Keane
Signed from: Burnley
Reported fee: £25m (potentially rising to £31m)
Position: Centre Back
Age: 24
That Burnley comfortably avoided being dragged into a relegation dogfight last season was in no small part down to the efforts of Micahel Keane who earned international recognition with England off the back of his performances.
Last season, Keane won more aerial duels (134) than any other defender in the Premier League as well as ranking 4th for defensive actions completed (366) of all players in the division.
Keane’s propensity to defend first is reminiscent of Everton’s club captain Phil Jagielka who at the age of 34 is nearing the end of his career and he could well replace him in the heart of the defence.
While Jagielka and Ashley Williams are proven Premier League performers, they will have a combined age of 68 before the end of August and Keane at 24 will, therefore, freshen up a creaking defence.
1. Jordan Pickford
Signed from: Sunderland
Reported fee: £25m (potentially rising to £30m)
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 23
A fee of £30m makes Jordan Pickford one of the most expensive goalkeepers in history which is incredible given he has less than a full season of top-flight experience under his belt.
Undoubtedly, Everton are taking a gamble on Pickford by hoping that he can continue to develop following a phenomenal breakthrough campaign for Sunderland.
Despite playing for the worst team in the division, Pickford enhanced his reputation considerably making the second-highest number of saves in the league with 141.
While Pickford excelled between the sticks for Sunderland, neither Joel Robles nor Maarten Stekelenburg impressed consistently for Everton and if their latest No.1 can fulfil his potential, he will prove to be a huge upgrade on both.
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