Everton ‘nightmare scenario’ shared amid concerns over pre-season plans
Michael Ball has shared his concerns over Everton’s pre-season plans and has outlined the “nightmare scenario” they must avoid next season.
The Toffees were embroiled in another relegation battle in 2023-24, albeit only because of an eight-point deduction for financial breaches.
Sean Dyche’s men avoided the drop relatively serenely in the end, but it could be a similar picture next season if the squad is not strengthened.
One eye will no doubt already be on the 2024-25 campaign, but Everton do not yet have a finalised pre-season schedule in place.
Writing in his column for the Liverpool Echo, former player Ball said: “Everton need to get our pre-season plans sorted. We’ve been here in the past where things haven’t been signed off and the players don’t know where they’re going or what kind of quality they’ll be facing and that’s hurt us.
“Dyche will be demanding a tough pre-season and deserves that from the club to get sorted. Too many times previously we’ve played weak teams and then one decent opposition at the end of it all but that’s not enough.”
BBC Sport pundit Ball added: “We don’t want another slow start to a season. The club need to do all they can to make sure that doesn’t happen. There’s going to be a lot of change at Everton this summer and we don’t want a nightmare scenario where we get relegated in our last season at Goodison Park.”
Everton in for a long summer transfer window
As Ball went on to point out, the sides at the bottom of the Premier League next season should be stronger than they were this time around.
Quite frankly, Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town were the worst bottom three in the division’s history – and the statistics back that up.
Now that all 38 games have been played, we know that Everton would have finished just a point outside the top half without the deductions.
So to take a more positive outlook, there is no reason why this same Toffees squad cannot challenge for the top 10 next season.
For that to happen, a new signing or two will have to be made, especially when factoring in loan players departing, but that seems unlikely.
Instead, it will likely be a slog of a summer transfer window, while the club could do with finalising its pre-season plans.
The 2023-24 campaign may technically still be ongoing, but already supporters are ready for a fresh start in a couple of months’ time.
In other Everton news, Seamus Coleman has ruled out taking on a new role at Goodison Park following a contract update
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