Sky Sports pundit grades late Everton work to stretch £60million and cap off transfer window
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Everton had a “good” but not “great” transfer window with the Richarlison money only capable of stretching so far, according to Kevin Campbell.
The Toffees sold their star man to Tottenham for £60million at the start of the window, giving them only limited room to manoeuvre on incomings with finances tight at Goodison Park, and meaning they went empty handed late on in pursuit of attacking additions.
But after securing the double-signing of Idrissa Gueye and James Garner on deadline day Sky Sports pundit and former Everton captain Campbell thinks the club have bumped their summer business up to a decent level despite there being room for improvement.
Speaking exclusively to Goodison News he said: “I don’t know if the Richarlison money could have been spent a bit better because it wasn’t as if it was £120million or something like that.
“They’ve tried to stretch the money as best they can.
“Also, where Everton were last season and how it ended up, you have to recruit smart now. You can’t just try and throw money at it, Everton have tried that, it doesn’t work.
“You’ve got to go out there and recruit correctly, and I think they’ve done that.
“[Getting] these ones [Gueye and Garner] over the line, I think it will [count as] a good window, but not a great window.”
The headline signing of Amadou Onana could turn out to make the £33.5million fee look a bargain if things go to plan, and the late capture of Gueye to go alongside him should help in that regard.
But the club were still pushing for the likes of Ben Brereton Diaz and Samuel Chukwueze late on deadline day to boost the firepower at Frank Lampard’s disposal, following the arrivals of just Neal Maupay and Dwight McNeil, but to no avail, and were dealt major frustration on Mohammed Kudus.
Midfield has undoubtedly been turned into a strength, while the defence has also improved, but with Richarlison gone and Dominic Calvert-Lewin unable to stay available there are still questions in attack, and therefore the window likely goes down as a qualified success.