Everton got off to a losing start in their Premier League campaign when they went up against Chelsea at Goodison Park. Thankfully, the gloom hanging over the opening day setback was short-lived and the club delivered some promising signs that things can only get better.
What are those signs? We will get to that in a bit. Much like last season, the Toffees were second best on home soil, they were second to the visitors in almost every department;
- Shots taken at goal and on target; Everton (8 taken and 4 on target) and (15 taken and 6 on target); they ranked fourth worst in the league over the weekend;
- Chelsea bathed in the possession with 63% ball possession while the home side only managed a percentage of 37%;
- Everton’s passes = 335, Chelsea = 566
- Frank Lampard’s men ranked 14th in the EPL for completed passes while Tuchel’s men are placed fourth after Matchday 1
Included in the similarities to last season, they had to start without the service of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and totally lacked in front of goal because of it. The issue of him leaving is as great as the issue of him not being available for selection because of injuries.
They need to act in the market and add a new striker as they did with haste to pull off one of their biggest surprise additions, not only in their recent past but especially in this transfer window.
Not Yet the Surprise: The Addition That Should Add Stability to Everton’s Midfield
Last week, The Top Flight reported that the latest Toffee touched down in England, completing the final parts of his switch from Stade Pierre Mauroy to Goodison Park.
That player is, Amadou Onana. He completed his move from Lille for €36m plus €4m in add-ons and will be contracted to the English top-flight club for the next five years, until 2027. The transfer makes perfect sense and is a step in the right direction.
A young, athletic defensive midfielder was needed at Everton. He possesses all the qualities of a modern-day midfielder and will certainly help stabilise the middle of the park for Lampard.
"Belgium international midfielder Amadou Onana has joined Everton in a deal worth up to €40m. The club will pay €36m plus €4m in add-ons to Lille, who signed Onana for almost £6m from Hamburg only a year ago, plus 20% of any future sell-on fee. (Via: theguardian.com)"
This is exactly what they need going forward if they want to control games better, break up play more easily before the opposition gets into their final third, and if they want to turn defence into attack effortlessly.
At 20 years old, he is the right age and fit for now and the future. He is the club’s fifth signing this summer and was not the last.
The Biggest Surprise of the Week: The Loan Move of Conor Coady
Not a person in the world saw this one coming, except the two clubs and the people working on the deal. Conor Coady, a former Liverpool academy player, joined the Toffees for the remainder of the season, with an option to make his loan move permanent at the end of the season.
Why is this a surprise? Firstly, because he originates from the red side of Merseyside. Secondly, having already signed James Tarkowski on free after his deal with the demoted Burnley ran out.
With that and already having Ben Godfrey, Michael Keane, Mason Holgate, and Yerry Mina, they would be enough to see out the season with only league matches and domestic cup clashes to see to. But fortunately, management felt they needed to add another few more names to the roster.
The third and final reason why it is a big shock to see the Coady switch from Molineux to Goodison, Conar was the club captain at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and at 29 years of age, still had a lot to offer the club that he has helped achieve many great things.
🔵 “I’m so incredibly proud and lucky to be able to come to this football club.”
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) August 10, 2022
🐺 “I do love Wolves but I’m 29! I want to be playing football every single minute.”
Conor Coady gives an insight to why he left from #WWFC to join Frank Lampard’s #EFC pic.twitter.com/SXnHuyrjs1
Why It Was Important to Sign Another Defender
The Merseyside club will now be without both Godfrey and Mina for lengthy spells. The former, out for a possible three months following a fractured fibula he sustained in their loss to Chelsea on Saturday past
The latter picked up an ankle ligament injury in the second half of the same encounter, ruling him out for an undisclosed amount of time. I don’t think they could have recruited anybody better than the Liverpool homegrown talent, Conor Coady.
The timing for the player and club could not have been better for all parties involved.
Depth up Front Needs to Be Added
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is out injured for six weeks and many would think that’s not a long time missing. However, he misses eight EPL fixtures during the six-week period, a period that consists of matches against Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Leeds, Liverpool, Arsenal, and West Ham.
That’s a dangerous game to play without your best striker on the pitch and having to rely on players who are not regular and consistent goalscorers. They need to sign another forward. Their loan deals have been pretty good this summer and they should look for another quality loan signing.
This would be a big blow for the Sky Blues.#EFC #PUSB #SkyBlueshttps://t.co/6MMmEFqxbZ
— Coventry City News (@CovCityLive) August 9, 2022
It’s a World Cup year and Everton can take advantage of this factor. Reports do suggest the club will look for a player of similar, if not, the exact qualities of DCL. So far in the rumour mill, Michy Batshuayi from Chelsea, Stuttgart attacker Sasa Kalajdzic, and Viktor Gyokeres from Coventry City have been named as possible targets.
The manager has also made it clear that there is a lot of work left to be done this summer before the 1st of September, with a striker the priority for the Toffees. The business has been better conducted while the signings made have been exactly what the club has been crying out for last season or more.