Everton is fighting to stay in the Premier League, and they might soon be without several of their most important players.
With only seven points from their first eight league games, Everton has had a difficult start to the 2023–2024 Premier League seasons. To help them avoid relegation, as he did on the final day of the previous season with a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth, Sean Dyche faces a difficult challenge.
The Toffees’ recent transfer business has been a major source of criticism from both supporters and analysts. The club was once known for acquiring lesser-known prospects and developing them into players of excellent Premier League caliber. Since David Moyes left the team to take charge at Manchester United more than ten years ago, this hasn’t really been the case.
Despite a few encouraging indicators under Roberto Martinez in the Spaniard’s initial years at Goodison Park, things have changed fairly dramatically since then. We’re sorry, Everton fans, but there hasn’t been much activity in terms of incoming transfers over the past 12 months. As a result, there is a growing possibility that some of the team’s top players will decide to leave a ship that appears to be sinking.
We’ve chosen to examine three prominent athletes who might be interested in leaving the Merseyside club in upcoming transfer windows.
Abdoulaye Doucoure
After the current season, the player who helped Everton earn a spot in the Premier League with the aforementioned final-day victory over the Cherries in 2022/23 may decide to look for new opportunities. With the same number of goals as center-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Doucoure is presently the team’s joint top scorer for the season, demonstrating the importance of his ability to enter the box at the appropriate moment and score.
The Mali international will undoubtedly have many admirers not only in the English top flight but also throughout Europe after such outstanding exploits in the engine room. Due to their current financial difficulties, Everton will be unable to afford the salaries some clubs are ready to provide, which creates a problem for them.
Even worse for the team is the very real prospect that they could lose their star midfielder for no transfer fee at all because, according to Transfermarkt, his contract is slated to expire at the conclusion of the current campaign. Doucoure would be the largest loss out of the players that have entered the final year of their contracts.
Jarrad Branthwaite
Branthwaite has established himself in Dyche’s plans at Goodison Park after appearing in six of their team’s eight initial games and being one of the few shining lights in those outings. Many top clubs are in desperate need of a strong defender who is excellent in the air, and Branthwaite fits that description.
The teenage center defense had a very strong loan season with PSV in the Netherlands last year during which he played 34 times and even scored four goals, demonstrating that he can be a threat in the opponent’s penalty area in addition to being reliable in his own.
In October 2023, Branthwaite signed a long-term deal, thus it must be noted that he was given fresh terms. However, this may simply be a case of safeguarding his value as bigger clubs start to take notice of his performances. A move to Manchester United was reportedly planned for January, according to the Daily Mail, but the new contract may cause this to happen much later.
As has been the case for a while, if one of the Premier League’s “top six” clubs wants a player badly enough, they will use their embarrassment of riches to make the transfer happen. Everton used to be a team that could turn down lucrative offers, as they frequently did with players like Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini in the past. This is no longer the case since a sizable offer will considerably benefit them.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
The English striker remarked in an interview with the club website that after a hard road to fitness, “the fire has been lit again,” as he has discovered the ability to play more frequently at the start of the 2023–24 season. The best ability is availability, as the saying goes, and when Calvert-Lewin is able to make it onto the field, he is unquestionably gifted enough to have an impact.
The 26-year-old has played for Everton for seven years and has been a member of many different teams and managers during that time. Time surely flies. He began his career on Merseyside as Romelu Lukaku’s backup player since he was often used in wide areas and was a dedicated team player who was willing to make sacrifices for the team.
Despite only managing to score 63 goals in over 200 games, Calvert-Lewin has seen himself develop into the club’s major talisman as he has matured and improved as a player over the years. Even while that doesn’t seem like the record of a proficient Premier League goal scorer, it must be remembered that the players around him have also been having trouble during that time.
The England international might be on the move if he can maintain himself in shape and get into a good routine, however it may depend on whether Dyche manages to keep the squad in the top division. Every team can use a solid striker, and while joining one of the top teams may not be a possibility, a mid-table team like Brentford might be looking for a player with his profile as they anticipate losing Ivan Toney to injury.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin Career Statistics (via Transfermarkt)
| Club | Games | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everton | 215 | 63 | 19 |
| Northampton Town | 26 | 8 | 1 |
| Sheffield United | 12 | 0 | 0 |
The likes of Doucoure, Branthwaite, and Calvert-Lewin make a combined £235k a week, according to Spotrac, and Everton would be wise to cling onto them considering the challenging Premier League seasons they have recently experienced. The Toffees manager won’t be pleased if Dyche loses even one of them, much less all three.
Read More: Goodison View: Everton star could now ditch club and quit in January.
