A transfer window without any signings would normally be cast aside as forgettable. Yet who could forget last January for Everton?
As the club slipped into a relegation battle amid crises on and off the pitch, the search for a striker to offer cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin led only to closed doors and a squad that needed strengthening instead became smaller as Anthony Gordon departed for Newcastle United for a big fee amid a fracturing relationship between player and club.
There was, of course, the Arnaut Danjuma saga too. The Villarreal winger looked set to become a welcome addition to Frank Lampard’s attack before the exit of Lampard influenced a last-minute U-turn and the player instead went to Tottenham Hotspur. There, he was tormented by ex-Blue Richarlison for letting Everton down – so much so that the Brazil forward’s defence of his former club fed into Danjuma’s decision to move to Merseyside in the summer.
Yet as tough as last January was, for so many reasons, one significant addition was made – Sean Dyche was appointed manager. Twelve months later, Dyche is the first Everton manager to enter the new year in a position of strength since Carlo Ancelotti after working wonders with limited resources.
It may have been tight but he kept Everton in the Premier League and has since created a genuine foundation for progress Everton are, by rights, a top half club after a staggering run of form that began long before the 10 point deduction that supposedly ‘galvanised’ the players. What next for Dyche and Everton in the transfer market? Here, the ECHO’s Blues writers attempt to predict what could happen in January.
Expect more of the same from Everton. This will be a January in which sustainability will again be the dominant ideology as the club continues to try to build towards a position of financial strength. A lot of work towards that goal has been done, more will take place in the summer, nothing will be done in January to put that in jeopardy.
This will be the case even if the prospective takeover by 777 Partners is given the regulatory sign off it requires to complete its deal with Farhad Moshiri. 777 have a portfolio of clubs and nowhere has the company’s arrival signalled a trolley dash in the transfer market.
A cautious approach is even more likely given that Sean Dyche has shown he can make the limited resources he currently has competitive, while the manager also prefers to work with a tight squad. That is not saying he would not like a few additions, nor that Everton would not strike if an opportunity it felt was too good to turn materialised.
But the reality is that this season is now all about securing top flight survival as early as possible to allow director of football Kevin Thelwell a headstart on summer business. By then, Everton should have greater stability off the pitch and the conclusion of a host of big contracts gives Thelwell the first real opportunity to shape this squad since he was appointed in early 2022.
Recent windows have been about shedding large wages and bringing in transfer fees to boost the club’s finances. The end of this season could be the moment we see the real shift away from the Frankenstein squad of Moshiri’s many managers and the move to a sensible, well planned and sustainable group of players intended to take the club forward.
In the meantime, January will be about protecting the assets the club has – Jarrad Branthwaite and Amadou Onana are talents who are attracting major interest and the takeover uncertainty may encourage speculative efforts to prise them away. Clubs with money may feel next month is the last chance to do a deal with Everton with the Blues playing a slightly weaker hand. The true strength of Everton’s finances will define those battles – the stronger the club is, the higher the valuation it can set and the more likely it is they will stay.
The club’s position is further strengthened by an understanding from Branthwaite that first team football is pivotal to his progression and he is getting that at Everton. Meanwhile, speculation that Villarreal are looking at a return for Arnaut Danjuma and that Everton could also seek to recall Mason Holgate from Southampton due to a lack of minutes should also be treated with caution at this stage – though things could, of course, change. Dyche said last week that no-one had told him of any concerns from Villarreal over Danjuma’s minutes, which have since increased, while Everton’s deal over Holgate was influenced partly by finances as opposed to it being a developmental loan where experience was a necessity – such as when Branthwaite went to PSV Eindhoven last season.
Beyond that, Everton entered January having done due diligence on the market and should there be any leeway in the finances the club may strike if a chance arises. But incomings are likely to be opportunistic advances as the market fluctuates, particularly around young players the club sees potential in – which remains a feature of interest for Thelwell and his team.
Players like Sam Tickle, the Wigan Athletic goalkeeper who was selected for England’s Under-21s earlier this season and is one such player whose development the club has followed. Everton have also recently been linked with Gent 21-year-old Archie Brown too. Like with Tickle, left back Brown plays in an area the club lacks depth and their profiles match the club’s ambition of seeking talented younger players who could progress with Everton.
Brown started the first three games of the Swiss Super League for Lausanne before moving to Belgium, however, so there could be complications around a January deal with the player having already featured for two clubs this season. But should Everton make a move for anyone in January, it is likely to be that type of signing unless an unexpected opportunity to strengthen the first team squad for the right price comes along. If that does happen, Everton’s instinct will be to look at loan switches, or loan deals with an option to buy.
Chris Beesley – wait until the summer
Given the continued wait over the proposed takeover of the club, it’s difficult to predict January transfer activity at Everton with any degree of accuracy.
Thankfully – unlike the last winter window when the Blues were desperate for new blood but were the only team fighting to stay in the Premier League not to strengthen their squad – Sean Dyche seems to have got the team in a position where they don’t necessarily need to bring in additions to their personnel. Of course the group can often be low on numbers, particularly at times when a few players become unavailable, but there is now pressing need to do any random rummaging in the New Year sales.
Everton will hope to be in rude enough financial health to avoid having to dispense with any of their prize assets like they did last time out as Anthony Gordon moved to Newcastle United for £45million. If they can overcome that then it’s probably best to wait until the summer when contracts expire for players who are surplus to requirements and some more significant squad rebuilding can take place.
Connor O’Neill – Keep Arnaut Danjuma
I agree with my esteemed colleague, Chris, that given the continued wait over the proposed takeover of the club, it’s difficult to predict January transfer activity at Everton with any degree of accuracy.
Speaking earlier this month, director of football Kevin Thelwell admitted that he’s unsure what the January transfer window holds for Everton, although he did admit that if the Blues are to recruit players for significant fees, then they must have a resale value.
That perhaps hints that the Goodison Park club will be looking to recruit players similar to Youssef Chermiti. However, one thing I would like to see this month is for Arnaut Danjuma to remain part of Sean Dyche’s squad.
Given his lack of game time so far this season, it is easy to understand why rumours have emerged claiming he could be heading back to Villarreal CF. However, I believe that we have seen in the last two games that the attacker still has plenty to offer and could be a real assist to the Blues in the second half of the season.
But in terms of incomings, I would be very surprised if we were to see anyone arrive next month, although if pushed, I would like to see the Blues add another midfielder to their ranks, especially with Idrissa Gueye heading to the Africa Cup of Nations.
