How Brands and Silva Will Fix Everton

Everton’s appointments of Marcel Brands and Marco Silva have been heralded as a change in direction after the abysmal 2017-2018 season. Whilst Evertonians are excited by the new management team, Brands and Silva will not be a quick fix. We take a look at the issues that the new Blues supremos will face over the coming months.

Sell to Buy: The Koeman and Walsh Legacy

On the 1^st June 2017, Evertonians were optimistic about the future of the club. Their manager, Ronald Koeman, had overcame an early season wobble to finish 7^th in the table. Even the upcoming departure of Romelu Lukaku couldn’t dampen the sense of optimism around Goodison Park. The long awaited investment into the first team under Koeman and transfer wizard, Steve Walsh, was about imminent. This was the spending spree that would spark a top 6 and possible top 4 challenge. It was the start of Everton’s return to the big time. Everton were back. A year later, neither Koeman nor Walsh are at the club. Both men left Everton richer.

Unfortunately, Everton aren’t.

Marcel Brands told the Guardian on Monday “First of all we need to offload players to raise money, and also salary-wise.” This would imply that the record spending spree that Everton undertook last season was a one off event. It is no secret that the clubs wage bill has also grown, with big name signings such as Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson commanding 6 figure weekly wages. Whilst Rooney is likely to be offloaded to the MLS, both Sandro Ramirez and Davey Klaassen are also rumoured to be on over a hundred grand a year. Neither player is likely to earn as much if they move on. No wonder Klaassen wants to make a go of it at Everton.

What a legacy Koeman and Walsh have left behind! Idrissa Gueye aside, the recruitment of these two have cost Everton an opportunity that was years in the making. What would David Moyes or Roberto Martinez have given for that opportunity. Koeman and Walsh have put Everton back a few years. We have gone back a place in the table, have a bloated squad, paid millions in severance money and alienated a great prospect in the process.

Go Now!

So how do Brands and Silva go about fixing this? With great difficulty. The first team squad is too big and a number of players have to go. Some, like Kevin Mirallas, should have been sold years ago. Many of them are more recent signings who have failed at Everton. All of them go at the first opportunity. Ashley Williams, Morgan Schneiderlin, Sandro Ramirez and Davy Klaassen have all been poor value for money for Everton.

Furthermore, Kevin Mirallas has had his last chance and even Olympiakos didn’t want him any more. Cuco Martina isn’t better than either of our right back options and could lose his spot as back up left back to Antonee Robinson. The potential savings from the sale of these players could add up and contribute to a new signing. Wayne Rooney’s move to DC United alone will save just under 8 million pounds a year. For Brands and Silva, addition by subtraction is the initial plan.

Brands Not Afraid of Tough Talks

There are also a number of loanees and reserve players that are unlikely to have a future at Everton. Jose Baxter joined Oldham this week. Brendan Galloway is likely to be sold or released this summer. Luke Garbutt is also likely to leave. Joel Robles is out of contract and Shani Tarashaj is also likely to be released. Mo Besic is also likely to be sold this summer and Ty Browning is also a candidate for sale after a disappointing loan at Sunderland. Finch Farm promises to be a quieter place by the end of the transfer window.

“We have to be honest when we take the decision with these players. Do they have prospects here at Everton? Some of the conversations will not be nice but I think Marco must start with a squad that everyone is eager to play for and has prospects to play.”

One thing is for sure. Marcel Brands will earn his wages over the next few months.

Brands: Less is More

“For a coach, it is not workable to start with 38 players in your squad” Brands told the Guardian.  “We have to look for a squad Marco can work with and I think there always has to be space for young players to come to the first team. That has to be, let’s say, 25-30 players.”

Of all of the quotes from Marcel Brands, this is the most important one.  In this quote, he s commiting to a quality squad and also committing to the clubs academy and younger signings. Ademola Lookman, Tom Davies, Jonjo Kenny, Beni Baningime and Keiran Dowell will have noted this with interest. Everton still can’t compete in this world of 100 million pound transfers and will need to develop their own gems. These gems will need spaces in the squad to grow into.

Everton do need to improve in some areas. Leighton Baines successor needs to be brought in this summer so that he can learn from Baines. Lukaku’s goals have yet to be replaced. Jagielka is still our best centre half. We need a dominant midfielder and an injection of character. These players must be top quality. Neville Southall stated in a recent interview that Everton should only sign players who can win them the league. Whilst it will be difficult, he has a point and that should be our aim. More than ever, we need to sign the right players, Everton players, with the passion to win. Less is more.  Less players, more quality. It will take time.

The Magnificent 7

Howard Kendall took over Everton in 1981. It wasn’t until 3 years later that his vision started to manifest. In that time, some supporters had passed leaflets around Goodison Park demanding his resignation and others even painted ‘Kendall Out’ on his garage doors. If these budding Leonardo Da Vinci’s had their way, Everton’s greatest ever spell would never have happened. The young core of Ratcliffe, Southall, Stevens, Steven, Sheedy, Sharp and Richardson started to gel together and with the experience of Reid and Gray, became a side that was arguably the best in Europe.

Marcel Brands and Marco Silva find themselves with a group of promising young players and a bloated, expensive squad. It may take a few windows to bring in the players to get the balance of the squad right. The World Cup and the earlier transfer window closure could also work against them. Like Kendall before them, Silva and Brands need patience from an Everton support who have been exasperated over the last few years. These fans will need to be patient whilst the mistakes of the past are rectified.

Kendall’s 1st reign started with 7 signings, known as the magnificent 7. It ended with his second league championship win. Marcel Brands and Marco Silva may start their reign with at least 7 departures. Will these be the modern day magnificent 7, whose departure started off a new successful era for Everton? Time will tell. It is up to us to give it to them.

What do you think about the appointments of Brands and Silva? Let us know in the comments section below.