Positive Signs
Against most expectations - mine included - the team showed up at St. James’ Park in more than just the physical sense: that of eleven players in Royal Blue shirts making up the numbers on the pitch — merely serving the role of functional opponents for the home side. Newcastle United, after all, actually had much to play for, namely securing a Champions League berth for next season, whereas Everton could finish no higher than 13th place in the Premier League, regardless of the result at the weekend. In elite sport, motivation can make a crucial difference, providing those few percentage points in performance which separates winners from losers.
What we saw on Sunday, however was very different, with a Magpies side playing within themselves, shackled by expectation in front of a tense home crowd, struggling to deal with an energetic, organized and upbeat Toffees team. The Blues’ season had effectively finished the week earlier, in delivering an emotional sendoff to Goodison Park - the club’s home for almost 133 years - so it is of immense credit to the professionalism of the players, and the competitive ethos instilled by manager David Moyes, that they should turn in such an effort, upsetting the favourites on their own turf.
How many times have we seen Everton turn up for end of season schedule fillers such as this, only to be sent packing on the back of a comprehensive battering? The club has been final day pushovers now going back years — most notably delivering an embarrassing gift-wrapped send off to Manchester City hero Sergio Agüero, via a 5-0 massacre at the Etihad Stadium in the 2020-21 campaign, then being blown away 5-1 by Arsenal, right after the great escape against Crystal Palace, in the following season. This time, the team finished with positive momentum, in winning their last three games, meaning morale is high entering what will be a critical summer period.
FBL-ENG-PR-NEWCASTLE-EVERTON O’Brien will be a major player for Everton next season
Big Jake
Jake O’Brien, puzzlingly shunned by former boss Sean Dyche - despite being the player that Everton spent their highest transfer fee on last summer (€19.5m) - has excelled since Moyes arrived. The defender was immediately inserted into the lineup and has started all but one of the last 18 league matches, accruing 1,535 minutes — in sharp contrast to the 34 minutes handed to him by Dyche. The giant Irishman, who cuts a somewhat incongruous figure at right back, nevertheless excelled in a primarily defensive role, but he was signed to play centre back and so we needed to see him get game time in the position before the season ended.
With the injury to James Tarkowski, O’Brien was finally given his chance and started four games at the heart of the defence. Overall, he’s been solid and in his last two outings - against Southampton and Newcastle - he has looked comfortable, despite partnering two different teammates, in first, Jarrad Branthwaite and then, Michael Keane. At the weekend, up against a strong Magpies attack led by the impressive Alexander Isak, who admittedly may have been rushed back from injury, the big man was composed. With a preseason ahead of him, I expect O’Brien to be putting pressure on Tarkowski next term.
The Magician
What a signing Iliman Ndiaye has been. For Everton to acquire the then 24-year-old from Marseille for a fee of €18m was fantastic business. He is not a conventional player, rather a maverick talent, but one thing is certain — he is a magician with the ball at his feet. Back to his best in the last couple of matches after taking some time to recover his form, after picking up a knee injury in February, time and again at the weekend he wriggled out of trouble, embarrassing some very good Newcastle players, who were left trailing in his wake, thoroughly bemused. He succeeded in all four dribble attempts and showed his strength, balance and control in winning an amazing ten of eleven ground duels.
FBL-ENG-PR-NEWCASTLE-EVERTON The Magpies only way of stopping Ndiaye was to foul him
Although the Senegalese has played a lot as an attacking midfielder in his career, I feel he’s better off the left, and with Moyes often liking to use narrow wide men, this is the ideal position for him. He is not a true playmaker, a creative passer, but a pure dribbler, with a ferocious work rate and an eye for goal and when given licence to drift off the flank into central areas, he is a nightmare for the opposition. Ndiaye is the type of player who is all too rare in the modern game, which is one of systems and tactics, but is showing that there is still a place for the individual talent. Everton is lucky to have him.
Charly Has All the Tools
Mercifully, going off recent reports from reliable sources, it appears that Carlos Alcaraz finally put all hesitancy about the club signing him on a permanent basis to bed with the quality he demonstrated against the Magpies. Like Ndiaye, and following a clear pattern under former director of football Kevin Thelwell and recruitment chief Dan Purdy, the Argentine was coming off a move which had not worked out as expected, putting a talented player within reach of a club lacking serious financial muscle. Like any transfer, this method is not foolproof, but Everton’s hit rate with the strategy recently has been solid. Getting a player of this calibre in for a reported €12.5m is a fantastic deal.
The 22-year-old has played competently off the left, but is a perfect fit for the number ten position. Leading the Blues with an SCA (shot-creating actions) from open play of 2.82 per 90 minutes, he is calm on the ball, plays with his head up and always looks first for a forward pass. His clever movement in the box for two headed chances against the Magpies, eluding the gigantic Dan Burn both times, including for Everton’s winning goal, has even been compared to former favourite Tim Cahill. I’ve heard it said that this deal is good even if Charly is just a squad player, but that’s underestimating him. He’s a quality player and will be a nailed-on starter next season.
Newcastle United FC v Everton FC - Premier League Alcaraz shows the value of timing and movement in the box
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
The Exodus
The players Everton loaned in during the campaign will receive a more detailed treatment in a later article, so a quick evaluation will suffice here.
Orel Mangala showed himself to be a composed player, intelligent, if not dynamic. Whether there was ever any real chance of him joining the club permanently is uncertain, but an ACL tear sustained in January will keep the midfielder out until the end of the year, and the possibility of his involvement at Everton in the future now appears remote. A €30m option to buy Armando Broja always appeared fanciful and he’s both been fragile and largely ineffective in his time at the Blues, so I don’t see any sense in coming back in for him over the summer.
I like Jesper Lindstrøm as a player, and apparently so does Moyes, but he’s not a right winger — which the club desperately needs. It’s possible that Everton may entertain another loan for the Dane, with a lower option to buy, as he could provide an option in several positions and seems well-liked. Jack Harrison, I’ve seen enough of: two full seasons of nothingness in attack from ostensibly an attacking player. Rumours that we could sign him for a low fee puzzle me, as he’s on big wages at Leeds United with three years to go on his deal. The club needs to raise it’s sights higher, even for squad options.
Decision Time
Much like those brought in on loan, I’ll be covering the status of the soon-to-be out of contract players at the club in a subsequent piece, but will offer a brief breakdown.
We know the fate of some — with Ashley Young, Asmir Begovic and João Virgínia already announced as departing, along with the stalwart Abdoulaye Doucouré. The latest news suggests that Idrissa Gueye will be extending his stay at Everton for another two years, which is obviously a risk with ageing players, given his salary will be large, but he is still very much a key operator. Of the others, a couple of late season starts for Michael Keane showed that he may have some value, if retained as a fourth-choice centre half on greatly reduced wages. I’m certain that he could earn more and be at least in the mix as a starter elsewhere though, so I think he probably departs.
Everton v Crystal Palace - Premier League Calvert-Lewin’s goal keeps Everton up against Crystal Palace three years ago
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
I do not see the sense in re-signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin unless Beto is sold. Of the two, the Portuguese has fired seven goals in his last 16 league appearances, whereas DCL has scored 17 (just 12 non-penalties) in four years, in three of which he’s suffered substantial injuries. It’s time to move on. That leaves Seamus Coleman. I’ve already opined that I see no logical reason to extend him, given how he’s been unable to stay fit for the past two years and is now 36. Handing him a new deal would be pure sentiment and I’m hoping that Everton are moving beyond that. Yes, he’s a great character to have around: in that case put him on the coaching staff. We need to have a squad of 25 first team players next season who can actually get on the pitch.
The column will be continuing during the off season, primarily revolving around potential transfer activity. Let’s hope that I get at least some of the analysis right!
Statistics provided courtesy offbref.com,sofascore.com andtransfermarkt.com