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Everton pre-season report card after Jack Grealish transfer and with huge date looming

Everton correspondent Joe Thomas takes a look at the club's summer ahead of the Blues' Premier League curtain raiser at Elland Road

A general view outside Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

A general view outside Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

The opening weekend of the Premier League is fast approaching. Everton’s curtain raiser at Leeds United is less than a week away.

The Blues have been busy through the off-season, on and off-the-pitch, with a series of new signings secured around a trip to the USA.

With the trip to Elland Road looming, the ECHO took a look at the preparations for an historic new campaign at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

What pre-season has told us

Pre-season is about fitness, not results. That is the mantra we are used to and it is one that is pretty hard to disagree with. Results and performances can offer some insight into where a team is though- they can also build confidence and momentum.

It is fair to say Everton have done neither and, from what we have seen so far, the performances have largely made clear that familiar shortcomings remain on the eve of the new campaign.

They include creativity and goals, longstanding problems through recent seasons. Across seven friendlies Everton scored just six times. They drew blanks against Blackburn, Bournemouth and Roma and scored from the spot against Accrington Stanley. Of the remaining five there was a calamitous own goal against Manchester United in Atalanta and a direct free-kick against Port Vale. The only true goals from open play have been Carlos Alcaraz’s strike in the win over Vale, Iliman Ndiaye’s lovely finish against United and Idrissa Gueye’s opener against West Ham - one that also came from a series of opposition errors.

It has not been all bad - Thierno Barry was a handful in his hour against Roma. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall looked impressive going forward in the same match, his first in Royal Blue, and the addition of Jack Grealish should go a long way to improving the situation.

With the start of the season just days away, it does feel that Everton will begin the campaign relying on a square peg in a round hole on the right wing and hoping Beto can find a finishing touch he has lacked this summer if they are to become more threatening. Beto proved he was capable of that last season while the club is in the market for a genuine right wing option, so there is time and desire to apply the finishing touches to the attacking unit.

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How the squad is looking

It feels there is still work to do to strengthen Everton’s starting XI, with right wing and right back both key areas where even modest improvements could make a big difference to the balance of the side.

But while Everton saw a dozen senior players depart this summer and have signed just six in response, this unit is starting to look better as the window progresses. Barry may be raw but he should complement Beto up top, allowing Moyes to bring on fresh legs without having to alter his approach mid-game. Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish add silverware-winning pedigree and real quality to a team that saw Iliman Ndiaye flourish last year and Beto look ruthless when his confidence followed a run of games from late January.

Alcaraz was superb at the end of last season, crucial in the wins over Fulham and Newcastle, and with Dwight McNeil also in the mix, all of a sudden Everton should have attacking options from the bench this season. All of this is still resting on the addition of at least one genuine right wing option, however, with Ndiaye and McNeil both having struggled when taking on that role under Moyes.

Retaining Michael Keane means Moyes has four solid centre back options while it was crucial to extend the stay of Idrissa Gueye. Mark Travers, meanwhile, offers solid back-up to Jordan Pickford - though Harry Tyrer represents a much less experienced third choice option than Asmir Begovic.

Full back remains an issue. Nathan Patterson has a new injury scare to add to his catalogue of bad luck and Seamus Coleman, while fit, is not expected to be heavily relied upon. The sight of Vitalii Mykolenko limping off against Roma was a worrying one and, while Adam Aznou offers some cover, the teenage summer signing is inexperienced. A specialist right back feels a necessity and if they are also able to cover on the left when desperate, that would be an added bonus.

In the middle, much depends on how Moyes intends to use Dewsbury-Hall and Alcaraz. Alcaraz played deeper when asked last season and excelled in a genuine midfield role in the win at Crystal Palace. Dewsbury-Hall could be asked to drop back to accommodate Grealish and Ndiaye.

James Garner has ended pre-season well and Gueye is key, but Everton would still like another option in that area and it feels a necessity, particularly with Gueye likely to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations midway through the campaign.

Younger players Tim Iroegbunam and Harrison Armstrong could add depth and Armstrong in particular is a player to watch. But placing heavy expectations on either could be a gamble this season.

Injury outlook

The Mykolenko scare was an unwelcome consequence of the friendly with Roma but, aside from that, Everton have endured a positive summer on this front.

The key success has been James Tarkowski. There were fears his pre-season could be ruined when he suffered a serious hamstring injury in April. Yet he recovered to become a prominent part of the US tour and the speed of his rehabilitation has impressed and surprised club medical staff.

His centre back partner Jarrad Branthwaite has also returned to action after he missed the US tour with his own issue. Both players, central to the defensive resilience that has been so important over the past two seasons, look ready for the new campaign.

Tim Iroegbunam and Seamus Coleman, who both ended last season with knocks, are also fit. There is concern over Patterson, however, while Armstrong has a minor strain that ruled him out of the Roma clash.

Outstanding questions

The right side remains the biggest area of need. If Everton could bring in a specialist right winger that would dramatically improve the side. A back-up would also be useful, while a genuine right back would be helpful.

Further additions would be useful as Moyes considers whether the development of some of his players may be better suited on loan. It is difficult to see Youssef Chermiti getting serious opportunities while there has been interest in Patterson, Iroegbunam and Armstrong.

Reasons to be positive

There are plenty of these. Yes, Moyes is hoping for more business and just one win this summer - the one game that supporters could not watch - is not ideal. But Everton have reshaped the squad and added quality young players who should grow with the club in Aznou, Barry and Alcaraz. Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish add depth, quality and experience that raises standards in the group.

Perhaps the biggest achievement of the summer remains securing key man Jarrad Branthwaite to a new deal while the quicker-than-expected return of Tarkowski is a further boost. The coming season will hold challenges and, while several sides that finished above Everton have lost key players, some of those who finished below the Blues will expect to improve significantly. But the club should carry genuine positivity into the new campaign after a strong finish to last season and with some exciting new signings and, of course, a stunning new home.

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