Kevin Campbell believes Everton must address defence during summer transfer window
Everton and Frank Lampard must prioritise strengthening their defence during the summer transfer window, according to Kevin Campbell.
The Toffees have seen their form improve in recent weeks and have safety in their own hands with three games left to go this season, having been in the relegation zone just last week.
But while speaking to talkSPORT [May 11, 9:38], Campbell said that the club must get the defence right to avoid this situation in the future and backed Frank Lampard to address the problem once he has secured Premier League status for next season.
“Yeah I think Frank Lampard, he’s got Ashley Cole with him as well and Paul Clement,” he said.
“They’ve assessed the squad, they’ve had a good chance to look at the squad and I think they’ve got to get the defence right. If you’re going to build anything at Goodison Park, or at any club, you’ve got to get the defence right.
“Yerry Mina has been decent but he’s struggled with injuries. There’s been so many players in and out of the team, you really need players who are going to be playing week in and week out and I think Frank Lampard is going to address that once they secure their Premier League status.”
Problem
Defence has been a problem area all season for the Toffees, even since Lampard came into the club, but he didn’t deem it a priority in January.
Instead he chose to focus on the midfield by bringing in Donny Van de Beek and Dele Alli, two players who have barely contributed to the club’s relegation battle through injury and just non-selection.
But as the season winds down and the team edges closer to safety, plans for next season must now be in motion and the defence has to be the first thing that is addressed.
The defence has been labelled Championship quality at times, while several players have suffered with injury problems and decisions need to be made by the management team about who is worth keeping, and who should be moved on.
That will help to identify targets to bring in, and hopefully ensure they’re not in this position again any time soon.
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