UEFA Champions League/Europa League ** Spoilers ** [26/27/28 September 2017]

[TallPaul1878]

After all this spending? A net spend of £45m, which isn't exactly massive in the context of spends in the summer just gone. You sold your key goal scorer and didn't replace him. You have people like Coleman, Funes Mori, and Bolasie out injured. Etc.

You're being pedantic. When Everton sold Rooney all those years ago the money transformed the club. Players like Tim Howard, Mikel Arteta, Steven Pienaar were brought in and a club that looked set for relegation became a club that would regularly push for Europe, that was with an even more miserly net spend.

Having sold Lukaku I would have expected strengthening of goal keeper and defence, which we got, but absolutely the signing of 1 or maybe 2 new strikers. Koeman should have been able to spend £50m on a striker and had his pick of any barring the very top players in Europe.

The relentless pursuit of Sigurdsson, whilst already having Klaassen at the club, has cost us the opportunity to sign a striker. Koeman has messed up big time and it is compounded by his insistence to shoehorn them all in to the same side whilst rotating out players like Calvert Lewin, Davies, Vlasic and Lookman who have all impressed when given a chance

 

[MissChief]

I'm wondering how long Koeman has to turn things around. Could he be the next head on the block?

 

[Maundie]

I'm wondering how long Koeman has to turn things around. Could he be the next head on the block?

I mentioned this in the Sack thread, with the work done pre-season in recruitment loads of people were predicting a run at the title for Everton (at least top 4 was said as a minimum) and thus put undo pressure on them, losing Lukaku has taken a lot of goals from them which they haven't (in my opinion) replaced.

 

[omnomnom]

I mentioned this in the Sack thread, with the work done pre-season in recruitment loads of people were predicting a run at the title for Everton (at least top 4 was said as a minimum) and thus put undo pressure on them, losing Lukaku has taken a lot of goals from them which they haven't (in my opinion) replaced.

LOL were they ? Most said top 6 would be a good season from wheat I remember. Everton signed a bunch of mid table players and then wonder why are playing like a mid table side...

 

[Somnambulist]

Kind of enjoying Arsenal's EL adventure so far, bit slapdash but entertaining and reminds me of ye olde Carling Cup games when all the kids would get a go.

 

[Maundie]

LOL were they ? Most said top 6 would be a good season from wheat I remember. Everton signed a bunch of mid table players and then wonder why are playing like a mid table side...

I was talking about in the press, a lot of ex Pros (the Neville's come immediately to mind) and the BBC had an article about their 'fantastic' recruitment.

Also didn't Koeman berate Jose for saying too much about Everton

 

[dannyjo22]

I mentioned this in the Sack thread, with the work done pre-season in recruitment loads of people were predicting a run at the title for Everton (at least top 4 was said as a minimum) and thus put undo pressure on them, losing Lukaku has taken a lot of goals from them which they haven't (in my opinion) replaced.

I don't know or have read anyone seriously suggesting Everton would break into the top 4. A top 4 that still already had Arsenal and Man U trying to get back in. Jose comments were purely Jose mind games. How could anyone think they would get top 4 without replacing Lukaku with anyone.

I do think he's not far from the sack but not because we won't get top 4 but because he's built the slowest team in the league despite having funds available.

 

[dacads]

Yeah I would have expected them to be challenging for a top 6 or 7 finish at min.

The current top 4 looks quite realistic in terms of who you'd expect to be there.

Arsenal will definitely creep up and be pushing for a spot.

Still early days though for every team including Everton, so I think Koeman will be given till Christmas.

This should probably be discussed elsewhere

 

[FrankJH]

Isnt top 6-7 a bit unrealistic though for Everton

From an EPL point of view only, they had one of the best strikers in the last few years - and they got a decent amount of money from Utd given he was never going to sign an extension.

That type of ability is very hard to replace straight away and was always going to take Everton a few years to replace anyway even given the best circumstances of how this year went.

(ie even if they went for some high scoring player from a lower league or for a younger player who needed a bit of time either way it was more likely than not that it would be next season at the very least before he would get Everton back to where they where already with Lukaku)

 

[Evo8]

They'll likely buy Dembele from Celtic in the January transfer window. £30M please.

Would like to see Virgil van Dijk move too, Celtic are getting 10%.