View: Everton must not sell key trio this summer after Alisher Usmanov sanctions
Everton are preparing themselves for interest in key trio Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Jordan Pickford after suspending sponsorships from Alisher Usmanov.
The club announced on Wednesday that they had suspended all sponsorships from the Russian oligarch, which puts their financial position into the unknown section.
The Toffees were adamant that they still had money for their stadium project over the next two years even without Usmanov, but according to The Telegraph rival clubs are now circling their top players in case they’re bluffing.
A report from the reliable Mike McGrath suggests that Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Pickford have all been targeted by top clubs in England, as well as interest from abroad.
Richarlison would cost anyone more than £50m and has been previously linked to Barcelona, while Pickford has been earmarked as a Tottenham target to replace 35-year-old Hugo Lloris.
Striker Calvert-Lewin is wanted by Newcastle and Arsenal, while Manchester United are also likely to be in the market for a striker and unnamed Bundesliga clubs have shown an interest also.
If the club’s financial situation is now in dire straits because of the Usmanov situation, then the club is in serious trouble.
They spent just £1.7m last summer because of Financial Fair Play restraints, then this January they were forced to strike a deal with Tottenham for Dele Alli which saw them pay nothing up front.
With funds taken away from the club, there is a very real risk of the club’s top players becoming easy pickings for other clubs around them.
Richarlison has only got two years left on his contract so if someone came in with a big bid it would potentially be hard to say no, while Calvert-Lewin’s status in the league is well known.
Losing any of those three players, never mind more than one of them in the same summer, would be an absolutely devastating blow for the club as they look to push on into a European football club rather than just another Premier League side.
Because of that, the club must ensure they don’t lose them. The squad is huge as it stands and there are certainly players that can leave to free up space, while those three in particular are key to any aspirations.
If one of them does have to leave, the club must ensure they get top dollar like Leicester usually do with their stars and then proceed to invest that money back into the squad for reinforcements.
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