EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JULY 26: Beto of Everton reacts during the Premier League Summer … More
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It should not come as a surprise that Everton was routed 0-3 by Bournemouth in a US preseason warmup game.
It might be a non-competitive fixture, but the distance between the teams now feels wide.
Last season, the Cherries established themselves as one of the Premier League’s best-run outfits, strategising effectively to outmatch better-funded rivals.
On the other hand, Everton has been lurching from crisis to crisis for years, fruitlessly seeking the stability the South coast side has established.
The irony of this situation is that the Liverpudlians are one of England’s oldest and most storied clubs, while Bournemouth has a set-up more suited to the lower leagues.
This difference is never more evident than when looking at their stadiums.
Due to open this August, Everton’s brand-new home has a capacity that would fit the entirety of Bournemouth’s Dean Court ground five times over.
But as it stands, the squad playing to the lowest attendances in the division is in far better standing than the one with Champions League-level facilities.
An already threadbare Everton squad has been weakened further with departures. Talismanic striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, midfield stalwart Abdoulaye Doucouré and reliable full-back Ashley Young have exited on free transfers, while Jack Harrison, who sparkled into form at the end of last season, has returned to his parent club Leeds United after a loan spell.
The team manager, David Moyes, was forced to select for the Bournemouth game in the USA illustrated this lack of first-team talent.
“We were nearly struggling to field the team in some ways today,” Moyes said post-game. “We had five players playing out of position really.”
Speaking to The Athletic ahead of that encounter, the boss revealed that an entirely new team needed to be bought.
“We’re a long way away just now. I would have hoped it would have been much further down the line than we are. I would hope by the time we get to the end of the window, we’d be closer to 10 [new players]
. So you can imagine the amount of work we’ve got to do.
“The club are trying really hard to get the players I want and I’ve found it really difficult because in my last few years [in his previous job at West Ham United],
“I’ve been involved in European competition. It’s a bit easier when you’re a club in Europe. You get a better chance of attracting a lot of players.
“We’ve been in for a lot of really good players. Unfortunately, a lot them have said no at the moment.”
Moyes may have been referencing a raft of players, although the two most notable known failures are the approaches for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap and Fulham defender Kenny Tete.
The Scotsman pointed out that although the job was harder than in previous years, it remained important to recruit those who were up for the fight.
“We need them to want to come,” he told the media.
“They have to come and buy in a wee bit to what Everton have got, the culture here. There’s a strong, hard-working ethic and we want to build on it and bring in more quality.”
One of the few spots on the teamsheet where there is little need to break the bank is goalkeeper, where England starter Jordan Pickford has nailed down the role for some years.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, the ex-Sunderland player was asked about his manager sensing the need for new additions.
He replied: “I think it’s fair enough. You’ve got to have competition throughout your squad, you’ve got to have people fighting for their positions each and every day on the training pitch and performances will tell on matchday.
“In any type of industry you’re in, you need to be competitive.”
“I think the manager and the staff and the recruitment team will be working tirelessly to get players in. We need it.
“We need a competitive squad and we need to push as a whole. We need to be working but at this particular moment in time we are what we are.
As a squad, we need to work hard and push each other on the training pitch, which we’ll do.”
ACCRINGTON, ENGLAND – JULY 15: David Moyes, Head Coach of Everton, waves following the pre-season … More
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Everton are fortunate that their situation is not worse, in no small part due to Moyes’s rejuvenating impact since taking over from Sean Dyche midway through last season.
Arriving for his second spell, the Scottish 62-year-old has generated a positivity that hasn’t been witnessed at the club for years.
As former Everton and US striker Landon Donovan said: “It just feels right. It really does.
“In my opinion, the best way to move forward in a healthy way is to do it with someone who understands the history of the club. There’s nobody who understands that more than David Moyes.
“I think he will carry all of the values, all of the history, respectfully, into the new stadium and a new era. I think he’s the perfect person to do it – I really do
“To be honest, it was a group of players that weren’t his. Yet, there weren’t many teams better than Everton from the moment that David Moyes came back to the club until the end of last season.
“The fact that he was able to do that with players that weren’t his signings says a lot about him. What made David so successful during his previous time at Everton was how diligent he is about getting the right players.
“He knows it’s not Chelsea Football Club where you can buy 38 players and hope that 15 of them work out. He cannot miss very often, and he knows that.
“I’m sure he’s been on a mission these last couple of months to make sure he is getting the players that he absolutely wants. I have no doubt when he does, this team will be even better.”
However, if Moyes is to get Everton to the level the club and stadium deserve, he will need more players, and he will need them fast.
