Stan Collymore makes Everton prediction as Vincent Kompany links to Chelsea emerge in last 12 hours
Stan Collymore believes that Everton could be back competing for Europe in the next few years once they move into their new stadium, he told Caught Offside (21 April).
The Toffees narrowly avoided relegation last season under Frank Lampard and this season sit outside the drop zone on goal difference alone with seven games remaining under Sean Dyche.
But despite their recent struggles, Collymore mentioned Everton as a club that could be competing with Chelsea in the coming years for a European spot after Vincent Kompany was linked with their vacant manager’s role.
“From a playing perspective, Chelsea aren’t in a two or three horse race for the Premier League and the Champions League anymore,” he wrote.
“Newcastle are doing really well, they’ve got money. Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal too. Spurs aren’t going anywhere because they’ve got a certain level of capital that they can spend.
“Clubs like Brighton and Brentford that are really progressive in terms of recruitment will be up there challenging for Europe, and then in a few years clubs like Everton, who are moving into a new, revenue generating stadium, and Villa who have very wealthy owners will be in that bracket.”
Mental
As it stands right now, anyone who thinks we’ll be competing for Europe in the next couple of years has lost the plot.
Considering how the last two seasons have gone and all the issues Everton have got off the pitch right now financially and with the divide between fans and boardroom, it would be remarkable if we just managed to stay a Premier League side.
Obviously plenty can change in the space of a few years, and with a new stadium opening new opportunities will present themselves also.
But it seems like a step too far right now to be putting us in the same bracket as the likes of Brentford, Brighton and Newcastle who are all on an upwards trajectory while we’re battling for our lives.
We can’t afford to have these thoughts in our head right now while our immediate future looks so bleak. Focus on survival and getting through this patch, then we can talk about Europe further down the line.