Everton appear to have come out of the difficult times, which saw them battling relegation for a few seasons.
Everton’s Premier League status has come under huge threat in recent years, especially during the 2022/23 season.
The Toffees had to rely on an Abdoulaye Doucoure winner against Bournemouth on the final day of the season to stay up.
That said, Jeff Stelling reckons that without one key Everton star, they would have gone down to the Championship during those times.
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Jeff Stelling says Everton would be in the Championship without Jordan Pickford
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jeff Stelling made the bold claim that without Jordan Pickford, Everton would be plying their trade in the second tier.
Ally McCoist said: “Sometimes you get players who are really happy in an environment, and the whole setup at Everton is great for him. I think he’s an excellent goalkeeper, I really do.”
Jeff Stelling added: “Without him, Everton would be in the Championship.”
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Pickford is set to sign a new long-term contract, and it could see him finish his tremendous career on Merseyside.
David Moyes wants to build his team around the 31-year-old.
Paul Robinson says Jordan Pickford’s distribution has improved a lot
Speaking to BBC Sport, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson explained that Pickford’s distribution has improved a lot over the years.
“He has definitely improved his all-round play with his feet,” Robinson pointed out. “Where Jordan has always been strong is with his long distribution and his ability to start a counter-attack – there are not many better than him at that in the Premier League.
“He can kick it accurately for absolutely miles in a similar way I used to do, and as a goalkeeper you enjoy that. The game has changed now, but he is still able to play out with shorter passes from the back too.
“You would do very well to find the perfect keeper anyhow but, when I analyse his overall game, I feel like Jordan understands his own qualities and he has grown and developed into the keeper we see now.
“He knows what he is good at and what he has maybe needed to work at, and he is still working at it now.”