Good evening, Everton fans. Here are your evening headlines for Tuesday, August 4.
Breakdown of Everton’s staggering transfer outlay
With Everton director of football Marcel Brands warning this summer will not be a big-spending one , it’s worth taking a look back at the club’s expenditure across the last four summer transfer windows.
The Toffees have made significant sales over the period, recouping more than £100million for Romelu Lukaku and John Stones alone, but the £450m outlay across is nonetheless a huge figure.
Some 29 players have arrived at Goodison Park over the period, with Maarten Stekelenburg the first and Jarrad Branthwaite the most recent, while 2017 and 2019 summer windows both brought outlays north of £100m.
We’ve gone through the full list of signings over the period in question to get a feel for who the money was spent on and how much the players in question cost.
More than a dozen were signed for fees north of £20m, including more than one expensive misstep.
And that’s before we even start to talk about the wage bill...
Tosun’s recovery remains on schedule
Everton forward Cenk Tosun has begun ‘light’ ball work as he continues his recovery from the cruciate ligament injury which cut short his 2019/20 season.
The Turkish international sustained the injury while on loan at Crystal Palace, having made just five appearances for the London club.
While the signs are promising, Tosun is still some way off returning to action, with medical staff keen to take things slowly and not rush him back despite all the recovery targets having been met so far.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the 29-year-old might need to wait until November before he can return to Premier League action, and we may learn more about his progress when the time comes for Everton to name their squad for their return to Premier League action in September.
The former Besiktas frontman, signed by Sam Allardyce in January 2018, has scored 10 times for Everton in 51 appearances, including one Premier League goal last season before he joined Palace on loan.
Everton face United battle for Magalhaes
Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes is Everton’s principal target as they look to bolster their back-line going into the 2020/21 season.
That’s according to ESPN , with the publication suggesting Manchester United remain the biggest threat to Carlo Ancelotti’s side getting the deal over the line.
Napoli are also reportedly interested in the Brazilian, who was a regular for Lille as they finished the season fourth in Ligue 1, but ESPN cites sources who claim United represent a more serious concern in the Merseyside club’s pursuit of the defender.
Gabriel has been valued at around £25m by the French outfit, who narrowly missed out on a Champions League spot, but Ancelotti remains intent on adding a centre-back to Everton’s ranks.
The manager is also thought to be focused on signing a new right-back, with Djibril Sidibe having returned to Monaco following his season-long loan move.
Everton conceded 56 goals in last season’s Premier League season, with only seven clubs letting in more.
