Sam Allardyce makes ‘Massive’ new Everton prediction live on talkSPORT
Sam Allardyce has claimed that Everton have a “massive opportunity” to avoid the relegation battle and finish in the middle of the Premier League.
The Toffees appear to have finally got up and running under Sean Dyche and with their 3-2 win over Crystal Palace, they have headed into the international break eight points clear of Luton Town in the final relegation position.
After a difficult few seasons at Goodison Park, including dodging relegation on the final day of last season, Allardyce believes that the Toffees finally have the experience and direction to push for the midtable positions “and better.”
Speaking on talkSPORT (14 November, 9:45) he said: “Everton are doing fantastic now in terms of solidarity, looks like they’ve got the right pattern, looks like they’ve got the right direction.
“I’m not sure whether the club’s going to be sold or not, but certainly they’ve got a massive opportunity I think at least of finishing in the middle of the table.
“The teams at the bottom are struggling a lot this year because they’ve not spent as much as anybody else and the three teams that went up are the three teams that are struggling.
“Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton haven’t really gone for it, haven’t really spent enough so that should be good for the rest for the rest of the teams who may struggle a bit down there and they should focus on the massive experience they have at Everton and pushing up for the middle of the table and better.”
Huge claim
Things are certainly starting to look up at Goodison Park with Dyche taking Everton on a four-match unbeaten run in all competitions, moving them clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone and even leading them to a Carabao Cup quarter-final.
It is only natural that supporters are going to begin looking up the Premier League rather than over their shoulders at the relegation zone, but there is still a lot of football to be played and plenty of points to be won and lost.
Currently, the Toffees still have the possibility of a points deduction looming over them as they await to hear the results of the independent commission’s investigation into their alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial fair play rules.
With the league asking that Everton receive a 12-point deduction if they are guilty of their breach [The Telegraph, 25 October] the Toffees won’t be able to feel comfortable in the thought that they are safe from the drop already.
However, should they avoid any punishment or be found not guilty, there is no reason why they can’t match Allardyce’s prediction and continue to climb the Premier League table.
In other Everton news, Amadou Onana’s agent has provided an update on the midfielder’s fitness ahead of the international break