Guardian writers’ predicted position: 13th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 13th
Prospects
Building a new stadium befitting Everton’s ambitions proved a fraught and costly process. The same is true of David Moyes’s attempts to build a new team to realise those ambitions. Everton must hope that, like Hill Dickinson Stadium, their exhaustive efforts eventually pay off.
The feel around Everton is at odds with the reality of Moyes’s summer at present. The move to a modern new home – which, despite Unesco’s objections, is the finest development along the River Mersey in decades – has generated a positivity unfamiliar to Evertonians after too long in the doldrums. But it is not the only source. A blessed end to the Farhad Moshiri era, stability and common sense under The Friedkin Group, the team’s uplift under Moyes in the second half of last season, Moyes himself, with his ability to rebuild a side and connection to the fanbase, all point to a club turning their troubles around and moving forward. But the squad? Not so much.
Everton took 31 points from 19 league games under Moyes last season, a dramatic improvement on the 17 from 19 collected in the fag end of Sean Dyche’s reign. Extrapolated across the campaign, Everton’s form under the returning Scot would have been good enough to finish eighth. That, in Moyes’s view, is where Everton should be aiming next and the bare minimum for a club of this stature. He want European qualification and an end to the club’s 30-year trophy drought, not a modest step to mid-table.
But nine members of last season’s first team squad departed this summer – many with considerable Premier League experience – and attempts to replace and upgrade them have been largely frustrated. Moyes, now part of a football leadership team that shapes recruitment, has missed out on numerous targets with first-choice options deterred by the lack of European football and too many recent scrapes with relegation. It doesn’t promise to be a hectic end to the transfer window; it has to be one.
The manager
The Friedkin Group’s first big call as Everton owner could not have worked out better. Everton were one point above the relegation zone and in dismal form when Dyche was sacked in January. Moyes was quickly invited back after a 12-year absence and swiftly improved the team in all departments to banish relegation fears with ease. Age and the demands of the modern dressing room may have mellowed the 62-year-old, who received an OBE in June for his services to football, but he is as ambitious as ever and the perfect foreman for the reconstruction that Everton require.
Off-field picture
Last season was dominated by an emotional farewell to Goodison Park, home to Everton’s men’s team for 133 years and now the new home for Everton’s women, and a stadium will take centre stage again as the club relocate to a magnificent new residence on the banks of the River Mersey. Hill Dickinson Stadium heralds a much-needed fresh start and will help improve Everton’s finances with greater commercial opportunities at the 52,888-capacity venue. Access to and from the stadium will take some getting used to, and Moyes will be keen not to lose the intimidating advantages that Goodison offered.
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Star signing
At the time of writing there is not a great pool to choose from but Everton’s standout signing is undoubtedly the France Under-21 forward Thierno Barry from Villarreal. Barry, as he prefers to be called, is 6ft 5in and had an impressive impact after joining the Spanish side from Basel last summer. He scored 11 goals in La Liga as Villarreal secured a return to the Champions League with a fifth-placed finish. An emerging prospect who cost £27m and is 23 in October, the striker fits the profile of signing that Everton want as they develop a team under Moyes.
Stepping up
The 18-year-old Harrison Armstrong is on the right pathway, although Everton’s fortunes in the transfer market may determine his next step. The Liverpool-born midfielder made his Premier League debut last season, impressed on his first FA Cup start and signed a long-term contract in February before joining Derby on loan. There was also an international debut for England Under-18s, who he captained against France in March. Armstrong benefited from 15 appearances for Derby and has looked sharp in pre-season. Another loan move has been mooted but there could be opportunity at Everton given their shortage of midfielders. A late decision beckons.
A big season for …
Everton’s captain, Séamus Coleman, has nothing to prove and could bow out a celebrated figure without making another appearance. But that is not how he will approach his 17th and possibly final season as an Everton player. A series of injuries limited the defender to four starts last season but his presence behind the scenes, continually upholding standards and reinforcing what it means to play for Everton, made it important for Moyes that he received another 12-month contract. Coleman led out Everton in their final game at Goodison and could do the same in their first at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but he will be desperate to contribute more on the pitch.
