Journalist: No ‘surprise’ if 15-cap international leaves Everton this summer
One of the most interesting things to watch from an Everton perspective this summer will be how Carlo Ancelotti moulds his squad.
Will the Italian be given the freedom to bring in who he wants, and will he also be allowed to offload some of the plentiful deadwood at Goodison Park?
There are some talented players on the blue half of Merseyside, but Ancelotti is used to working with the very bluest of blue chips footballers.
So it will be fascinating to see how the Italian approaches his first summer transfer window with the club.
Journalist Phil Kirkbride claimed during a Liverpool Echo Q & A on Thursday that there’s a couple of first team stars who should be looking over their shoulders.
“Don’t think it would be any great surprise to see Morgan Schneiderlin leave (he played well against Palace, didn’t he?) and, maybe, there has to be a conversation over Gylfi Sigurdsson,” he wrote.
“An attack-minded midfield, at home as a No10, does he have a future as a central midfielder in the 4-4-2 world of Ancelotti? He’s played in six of the eight league games the Italian has managed so far but you do feel that is more out of necessity than anything else.
“Let’s see, but I think the decision the club makes on the future of Sigurdsson is going to be one of the most interesting this summer.”
Could either of these two leave Goodison this summer?
There seems to be a very good chance that at least one of them could. As Kirkbride says, it would be something of a shock if Schneiderlin remained on Merseyside.
The Frenchman has failed to deliver on the hype that accompanied his move from Manchester United, and should probably move on now.
But Sigurdsson is the really interesting one. The Iceland international’s best days are likely behind him.
Meanwhile, as mentioned, he doesn’t quite fit in with the system Ancelotti is attempting to impose.
In other Everton news, two of the club’s brightest loan stars are reported to have big future at Goodison.