Rescuing Everton

Everton have been suffering in recent times with constant flirtations with relegation from the top level. I am here to try and sort that out and turn this massive club around. Using the sortitoutsi transfer data update for today (21/08/23).

Disclaimer - I'm not an Everton fan, but do appreciate how big a club they are.

The above will be my ideal first XI, altho not strongest as arguably there are better CBs than Branthwaite and Doucoure likely a better CM than Garner, I am going to try and bring thru the younger players rather than rely on older alternatives.

Surprisingly considering how bad Everton have started the season in real life (Played 2, lost 2), i'm actually not too disappointed with the squad depth available to me.

• GK - Keeper is an obvious pick, with England's no.1 Jordan Pickford being first choice and Joao Virginia being a backup, he's not the best backup in the league but I find backup keepers very rarely get a game anyway (Jinxed it!)
• RB - Going for youth over experience here, with Nathan Patterson being picked ahead of Everton legend and all-time league bargain buy, Seamus Coleman. Holgate and Godfrey can both play here if needed.
• CBs - Tarkowski is an easy pick for first choice, and as noted above, Branthwaite will be my first choice partner for him due to his potential. We have 3 half decent backups here with Holgate, Godfrey and Michael Keane, altho a bid for free agent Axel Tuanzebe, if successful, will lead me to transfer listing Keane.
• LB - First choice is the Ukrainian Mykolenko, who is probably the same level as Ashley Young, but 13 years his junior, which gives him the nod in my team.
• DM - Onana is probably Everton's best and most valuable player, so first team on the teamsheet and in DM he looks at his best on paper. Idrissa Gana Gueye is brilliant but i'll be pushing him a little further forward as a Box to Box Midfielder. Doucoure and Godfrey can cover the DM role also.
• CMs - Gana Gueye will be playing the Box to Box role, with ex-Utd youth player James Garner alongside, playing as a Carrilero. We have a fair few guys here to cover, including Doucoure and Alex Iwobi, altho i'll be actively trying to sell Andre Gomes, Gbamin and Dele Alli who can also cover these positions.
• Wings - Pretty happy with the depth here, with Dwight McNeil joined by loanees Arnaut Danjuma and Jack Harrison, aswell as Demarai Gray. 
• ST - Very shallow here, with Calvert-Lewin the clear choice, but with injury issues, and only Neil Maupay as backup, I badly need to bolster here.

The starting finances were surprising, with over £30mil in the transfer budget, altho the wage budget was over, so that needed sorting, especially with the number of players on over 100k who really shouldn't be - like Dele Alli, Andre Gomes and Alex Iwobi to name a few………

Luckily selling Gomes was quick and easy, altho I still pay £21.5k per week until the end of the season, it's a nice saving on the £100k+ he was costing the club!

Currently on the outs side of things, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Dele Alli are hopefully heading out the door, and with possible incomings including Axel Tuanzebe on a free, Brandon Williams for a negotiated fee to cover both wing back positions and Alfredo Morelos, also on a free transfer.

Watch this space…….

This McNeil injury comes off the back of our 2 freebie targets choosing alternative destinations, with Tuanzebe going to Monaco and Morelos heading to West Ham, it's going well……

Following the disappointment of losing out on some targets, we did manage a couple in the door and a couple out the door:

Gbamin was signed by a former regime for a ludicrous £22mil, but tbh he wasn't up to standard so I took what I could to get rid of a player I was never gonna use

He may not be a starter yet but I have high hopes Brandon Williams will be a good signing for £13mil. He can cover both wing backs well and is a pacy and aggressive player, and still only 22 so plenty of years to improve as the older cover for those wing backs retire with Seamus Coleman and Ashley Young.

I'm a rare person in that I actually really like Deli Alli and want him to be great, but his attitude has destroyed his promise time and time again. I wanted his wages gone, altho still end up paying a chunk of them, but even more so, I wanted his attitude gone, so like other players, I took what I could get for him, with just £3mil being the fee.

Altho 27 years old, I wanted someone as gritty and determined as Gana Gueye to take his place long-term as he's now 33, and with great mentals, plus great natural fitness and tackling, I'm thinking of possibly bringing Onana forward into Gueye's current role in midfield and having this destroyer in Nandez as the next DM. He cost just £3mil so even if it doesn't work out, I should be able to make my money back or more on him.