The major mistake Everton made this summer
Everton’s financial situation over the past few years has been well-documented, but Kevin Thelwell should be commended for guiding the team in the direction of greater sustainability.
Ultimately, he has made astute sales pitches and substituted those departing stars with less expensive options, all the while guaranteeing that the team is competitive enough to move on.
But he was sure to make a mistake or two given all the work he had been made to accomplish.
It seems like his decision to part with one star while keeping another this summer stands out as his greatest mistake.
Everton were forced to sell this summer
It was a well-known fact that, after years of financial turmoil, more sales would be needed to facilitate incomings.
After all, they were coming off the back of a torrid PSR-ravaged campaign where they had suffered through two separate deductions caused by their past misdeeds.
Thelwell wanted to bolster Sean Dyche‘s squad desperately in key areas, and so sacrificed Neal Maupay, Amadou Onana, Lewis Dobbin and Ben Godfrey to do so,
However, given how the season has started, perhaps it was the sale of the latter which has affected them more than most, even if he was never the most high-profile figure within the squad.
Ben Godfrey could have solved some of Everton’s defensive problems
It might seem ludicrous to suggest that Godfrey’s absence is contributing to their tough start to the season, but here are a few irrefutable facts about the £10m Atalanta star that would undoubtedly have helped them out.
After all, he has one thing that their current backline severely lacks: pace.
Seamus Coleman, James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, and Vitaliy Mykolenko make up a defensive that is severely lacking in speed. As a result, if the midfield ever presses forward or, as Saturday demonstrated, wanes, they will be horribly exposed.
It’s not as simple as stating that Godfrey could have stopped AFC Bournemouth from scoring three goals the previous weekend, but his lightning-fast speed would have been beneficial if he had been used at centre back or either full back position to cut out the danger in behind or block crosses.
He can play any position without any issues and is tactically skilled. He has spent the last two months at left back. He is consistently good.
Maybe it would have been preferable for them to sell Keane and end his disastrous time on Merseyside if they had to give up one centre back this summer.
He is very similar to Tarkowski, and it is obvious when they play together that it isn’t working. In 2022, journalist Richard Buxton called him a “liability,” a moniker from which he has never been able to shake.
Ten goals in only three Premier League games demonstrate this.
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