In this week's Royal Blue column, Everton FC correspondent Joe Thomas looks at how the brilliant display against Chelsea was built on a solid foundation laid when the club was at its lowest
Iliman Ndiaye celebrates scoring his team's third goal against Chelsea with Beto, Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil. All four and James Tarkowski, in the background, were signed by former director of football Kevin Thelwell. Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Iliman Ndiaye celebrates scoring his team's third goal against Chelsea with Beto, Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil. All four and James Tarkowski, in the background, were signed by former director of football Kevin Thelwell. Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
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When the dust settled on the beautiful chaos of Everton’s win over Chelsea, I looked back on the game and wondered: What would Kevin Thelwell have made of all this?
That is, admittedly, a strange spot for my focus to have landed on but his fingerprints were on some of the best parts of an almighty performance.
Thelwell had wanted to oversee the transition of the team from Goodison Park to Hill Dickinson Stadium but the expiration of the director of football’s contract provided a convenient opportunity to continue the restructure inspired by the arrival of The Friedkin Group as owners in December 2024.
A lot has happened since then and David Moyes influence on the whole of the footballing operation cannot be exaggerated. He immediately transformed the outlook of a playing squad that had repeatedly stared down relegation by making a pitch for a return to Europe.
Fourteen months after he mentioned the ‘E’ word in the media room at Finch Farm for the first press conference of his second stint, it suddenly seems within reach - a dream emphatically bolstered by that thrashing of Liam Rosenior’s side seven days ago.
Those in power now deserve credit for their roles but it would be remiss to overlook the work of Thelwell and others, including recruitment chief Dan Purdy, in helping to lay a foundation that Sean Dyche, important as he was during his first 18 months, was unable to take forward last season.
Everton spent big - at least in the context of the club’s recent austerity - in the summer but against Chelsea it was some of the players acquired before TFG’s first significant outlay that impressed.
There was James Garner, whose glorious through-ball found another Thelwell signing, Beto, to add the gloss on an impressive first 30 minutes.
For the second goal, Idrissa Gueye found a burst of energy to tee up Beto and it was his header that set in motion Iliman Ndiaye’s wonderful third goal. Meanwhile, Dwight McNeil enjoyed another positive display as his opportunities under Moyes continued.
Gueye was a known quantity and McNeil had significant Premier League experience, but it was unclear to what extent Garner and Ndiaye would live up to their potential. This season both are excelling.
Garner’s acquisition now looks particularly astute. Signed initially for a mere £9m there were questions over his role in Moyes’ plans heading into the season but, with the manager having placed trust in him, he has answered every one.
His England call-up, and debut on Friday night, was an important moment for the club, showcasing that players not previously on Thomas Tuchel’s radar can be rewarded for doing well with the Blues. There have been times when that was not thought to be the case.
Like Garner, Ndiaye was a player courted by Thelwell’s recruitment team when there were doubts over what he could become.
Thelwell had sought the Senegal star when he left Sheffield United only to lose out to the interest of his boyhood club, Marseille. Everton continued to monitor his situation, meaning they were well-placed to pounce after a debut season that did not go to plan in the south of France.
Suddenly, Ndiaye looks like a world beater. He has built on a good first season to emerge as one of the best wingers in the Premier League and, while he is under contract for some time, he will likely appear on the wishlists of Champions League clubs over the summer - though the Blues could be their equals if they REALLY finish the season well.
Garner and Ndiaye, signed for a combined initial £24m but together now - surely - worth in excess of a combined £100m, are the most high-profile protagonists of this piece but others are important too.
Jake O’Brien continues to cover out wide but the levels he has reached under Moyes have made Dyche’s misgivings over playing him - he never once started him in the Premier League - all the more confusing. And when he has moved to centre-back this season he has looked immense.
Part of his struggle to get into his favoured position more often has been the presence of James Tarkowski - Thelwell’s first Everton signing. From his winner against Arsenal in Dyche’s first game to his stoppage-time heroics in the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, the 33-year-old has provided some of the best moments of the past three seasons.
He has been even more significant as a talisman, a leader who has helped muscle the Blues to safety during times of peril and his acquisition on a free transfer may well go down as one of the club’s best pieces of business in recent seasons.
Not every signing of the past regime was perfect and one of the more divisive figures when it comes to analysing their success is last week’s hero Beto.
But while he may not have provided the consistency needed to first usurp Dominic Calvert-Lewin and then lead the club at the new stadium, he has provided his own big moments. The run of goals that took Everton to safety last season was vital and all of sudden he has six league goals for this campaign.
Should he hit a run of form that takes the Blues into Europe it would be a lovely storyline and add weight to the decision to sign him - especially when the context of his deal is considered.
Part of the attraction with Beto was that Udinese would accept a structured deal that enabled a cash-strapped Blues to bring him in when the squad was threadbare.
Brentford majority shareholder Matthew Benham - whose mastery of data has transformed the Bees from a League One club to a safe Premier League outfit - recently explained Beto was a player who deserved a chance because the hardest part of a striker’s job was finding chances, not converting them, and he often found himself in good spaces. If we are on the cusp of another hot streak then he will quickly prove his worth.
Everton are, rightly, looking forward and the imminent release of the accounts will show the work that has been done to stabilise the club is laying the groundwork for a future that could be exciting.
For all that many associated with the Blues may wish, understandably, to put the misery of recent years behind them, it is only fair to remember there was some good work done amid such a difficult period.
It would also make sense to seek inspiration from it - Everton may enter this summer with a budget that is finally comparable to most of the teams around them but the club’s long-term success will still largely depend on how savvy they can be in a crowded market.