Everton can do something for first time in 12 years vs Fulham
Everton have plenty to play for away at Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday.
To round off January, Everton earned a last-gasp 1-1 draw with Brighton at Amex Stadium to see them climb to 10th in the table.
As they head into their next league fixture, a trip to Craven Cottage with ninth-placed Fulham, a new face will be in Everton‘s squad.
Everton signed Tyrique George on loan from Chelsea on deadline day, with the Toffees having an option to make the move permanent in the summer.
Everton are aiming to qualify for Europe for next season, and a victory in London on 7 February will certainly help towards that goal.
David Moyes’ Everton aim to earn bragging rights over Fulham
If Everton beat Fulham, they could rise to seventh in the Premier League, which would likely secure them Conference League football next season if they maintain it.
But if results don’t go their way, David Moyes‘ team could slip down to 12th, highlighting just how competitive this league is right now.
The last time these two sides met, Everton won 2-0 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in November thanks to goals from Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane.
Now, this game acts as an opportunity for Everton to complete their first league double over Fulham since the 2013-14 campaign.
Incidentally, Fulham won each of their first seven Premier League home games against Everton, but since then, they have won just one of their nine matches versus the Toffees (four draws and four losses) at Craven Cottage.
Moreover, of all the Premier League fixtures to be played more than 30 times, Everton versus Fulham has the highest percentage of home wins (65 per cent – 24 home wins from 37 games).
Whether that trend will continue on Saturday remains to be seen.
Why did Everton decide against going big in the winter window?
Other than bringing in George, which may have been forced by Everton loanee Jack Grealish’s injury, the Toffees had a very quiet winter window.
To some fans, this may have been frustrating, especially as the Merseyside outfit have a realistic shot of securing European football for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
But with Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye coming back unscathed from the Africa Cup of Nations, along with Jarrad Branthwaite and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall returning from injury, Everton were relatively inactive.
And according to football finance expert Dan Plumley, Everton’s winter window plan made sense, although some more reinforcements may have been handy.
He exclusively told Goodison News: “I think it’s one of those where they’re now looking more towards the medium to long term, which is absolutely the right thing to do.
“European football has been tantalising this season because that is the long-term aim, but you wouldn’t expect to get there quickly. That’s probably where some of the narratives come from.”
Either way, it’s all about picking up consistent wins now, starting at Fulham.