da marjack bet： Farhad Moshiri’s £85m purchase of 49.9% of Everton’s shares back in February should really have made a much bigger splash. After all they are traditionally and culturally one of the biggest clubs in the UK and one that has been treading water for donkey’s years while their rivals have amassed new owners, new grounds, new superstar signings and the inevitable collection of trophies that follow.
da bwin： So the news that this giant – not so much a sleeping giant but a giant that’s had owners with a propensity to yawn through the biggest windfall era in football’s history – had finally stood up to be counted and returned to being a major player should have dominated newsagent shelves across the country.
In the event it made a few back pages and only briefly trended on social media because elsewhere football was too distracted by Leicester’s incredible charge to the title.
How typically Everton: Overshadowed by a team punching above their weight a la Everton.
The appointment of Ronald Koeman was a similar tale; their securing of the shrewd talented boss who had guided Southampton to sixth flying under the radar to an extent due to a collective obsession with the EUROs.
We’ve heard of burying bad news. Everton it seems have a particular flair for downplaying the positive.
So an understated revolution it is then at Goodison Park but a revolution nonetheless. With Koeman at the helm – armed with a reported £100m plus any money from sales – Evertonians can look forward to the first transfer window in eons where their club can and will compete. Not leak to the press an exaggerated interest in a player they have no chance of luring then sign a promising Championship full-back overlooked by the rest. But really and truly compete.
This is especially exciting for those affiliated to the club (or like me who know plenty who are and have grown tired of hearing all the hard luck stories) when you factor in the hoary yet factually correct cliché of the squad already being capable of challenging for a top four spot. Last season proved to be a tremendous disappointment largely due to Roberto Martinez not appreciating the importance of defence and key personnel enduring a sustained dip to their usual exceptional standards. The squad though, the squad is sound. They need a forward certainly, and a ‘keeper, while their midfield is overdue an upgrade in pace and creativity, but in comparison to the vast overhauls required elsewhere their squad is strong and balanced.
Even the predicted departure of their Marmite centre-back John Stones shouldn’t derail the quantum leap we can expect next term. With the bidding war presently hitting the fifty million mark you would think a coach of Koeman’s acumen already has an equivalent in mind.
It is the calibre of new recruits predicted for higher up the pitch though that is presently making Blues palpitate. The past few days have seen widespread reports linking the club with Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel while Roma’s Kevin Strootman remains a viable target. To resolve a long-standing need for a striker how about Graziano Pelle heading north to be immediately reunited with his boss on the south coast? Other sources meanwhile are suggesting interest in West Brom’s troublesome, but explosive, Saido Berahino.
These are not normally the high-end talents realistically available to Everton – nor are Andriy Yarmalenko, Nani or Cristian Tello – but it’s amazing what a respected new gaffer and an influx of wonga can do.
After a decade and more of false dawns and underachievement all signs now point to a resurgence at Goodison Park which only adds a further dimension to what was already promising to be a fascinating Premier League season. A realistic challenge for the Champions league? Don’t bet against it.
Oh and just to place a cherry on top the ground itself is scheduled for a long-overdue facelift this summer, too.
It is undeniably an exciting and encouraging time to be an Evertonian. It’s just a shame their PR people can’t ever quite get the timings right.
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