Here are the Everton morning headlines for Friday, September 4.
Who will benefit from new-look Everton midfield
Having been hampered by injuries last season, Andre Gomes failed to recapture the best form of his early appearances for Everton.
But with extra competition in midfield next season - with Allan, James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure all expected to join in the coming days - the former Barcelona man could be inspired to produce his best football once again.
That’s the view of the ECHO’s Sports Editor David Prentice, speaking on the Royal Blue podcast.
"When he first arrived we were so excited about the quality he would bring to the midfield but the balance was wrong," Prentice said.
"He produced fitful performances because he wasn't really given a platform to express those skills. He was asked to bring elements that possibly were not natural to him.
"If he fits into the same midfield as two players who are - not water carriers, I don't want to call them that, because they're more than that - but he can do what he does best which is play forward passes into dangerous areas and open up defences.
"He can create more. He didn't do it often enough last season. When he first arrived at the football club we saw it a lot more.
Here’s what he had to say in full.
What next for Gylfi Sigurdsson at Everton?
Toffees record signing Gylfi Sigurdsson finds himself at something of a crossroads at Goodison Park this summer.
The Iceland international is one of the club’s top earners and still has two years remaining on his current deal, but has been linked with leaving for DC United.
Everton have had dealings with the MLS club before, selling Wayne Rooney to them back in 2018, but the ECHO understands that they’re in 'cost-cutting mode' and any such big-money deals are unlikely in the economic climate.
Sigurdsson himself has stated he’s not considered leaving the club ahead of extra competition for the midfield spots next season.
Here’s how the situation stands.
What the latest substitutions vote means for Everton
Carlo Ancelotti will only be able to make three substitutions per Premier League match after clubs once again rejected the proposal to extend the post-lockdown extension to five.
It’s understood that several of the league’s top clubs have lobbied for the opportunity to use their squads to a fuller extent again in an effort to combat fixture congestion.
The Times report that for the second time this summer the majority of top-flight clubs have rejected the proposals at a meeting on Thursday.
Here’s that story in full.
