Frank Lampard's Toffees have only made one signing in this summer transfer window so far - the free signing of former Burnley defender James Tarkowski on a four-year deal; More signings are needed to ensure last season's flirt with relegation isn't repeated
Saturday 16 July 2022 13:33, UK
Leon Osman threw the ceremonial first pitch as Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals hosted reigning World Series champions Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.
A global ambassador and former first-team player, Osman knows all about what it means to represent Everton football club.
Strengthening ties with the Baltimore Toffees, as well as Everton's other supporters' clubs in the USA, is an important aspect of this pre-season tour of the States, which sees the first leg take place in the early hours of Sunday morning at M&T Bank Stadium against Arsenal.
Asmir Begovic, Dele Alli, Mason Holgate and new signing James Tarkowski were welcomed by the Nationals - winners of the 2019 World Series - but the benign atmosphere papered over the cracks re-appearing some 3,500 miles away at home.
Back on the blue half of Merseyside, unrest among the hardcore fanbase is again simmering. Talk of a potential takeover has been the soundtrack of the summer so far for the Blues with the Peter Kenyon-fronted consortium insisting their offer for the club remains on the table despite the expiry of their exclusivity period.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the group bankrolled by American businessman Maciek Kaminski had hoped to reach an agreement to buy Everton by July 21 - in time to be even unveiled during the tour of the US - but any potential deal for now appears dead and negotiations at an end.
On Thursday, majority owner Farhad Moshiri released a statement to the club's supporters insisting Everton is not for sale and that they are working hard to recruit players this summer.
"There has been much talk of investment in our football club recently - even takeovers - but I want to clarify that there is no 'for sale' sign currently hanging outside Everton Football Club," he wrote in another open letter, which left more questions than answers for some supporters.
"It will always be pragmatic to explore all potential investment opportunities and, as I have been transparent about, I am focused on completing the financing for our fantastic new stadium as well as strengthening the playing squad and that might include a minority investment. That will continue.
"But I want to reassure all of you that Everton Football Club is not for sale. My commitment to the club remains strong and focused and Kevin Thelwell and the chairman are currently working hard to bring in new players to improve Frank Lampard's squad."
It hasn't taken long for the euphoria of the 3-2 win over Crystal Palace which secured the club's Premier League status on a balmy May evening to subside. That is what tends to happen when you sell your best player.
Supporters had played a significant part in unifying the club at its hour of need during three successive home matches in which they lined the streets and welcomed the team bus through plumes of blue smoke.
The club would finish just four points above the Premier League relegation zone last season and those same fans are yet to see the signs that such a narrow escape won't form the same narrative next season.
Unsatisfied by the latest attempt to build bridges, Everton supporter group 'The 27 Campaign' - named after the number of years since the club's last trophy in the 1995 FA Cup final - issued a swift response to Moshiri feeling the Iranian billionaire businessman hadn't provided any reassurance, offered "little clarity and no detail".
"It does not provide any reassurance that the necessary changes to leadership are being made by the club," the statement contained. "Nor does it address the issue of him listening, engaging and then acting on fans' concerns.
"His statement in no way reduces the validity of the concerns raised in the open letter. We call upon Farhad Moshiri to consider how he can more effectively 'Listen, Engage and Act'. Most importantly we ask him to make the changes necessary at board and executive level."
The exchange comes after some supporters hung banners outside Goodison Park calling for Moshiri to sell the club and Bill Kenwright to leave as chairman. Improvement engagement is needed to ensure positivity permeates the Gwladys Street turnstiles come kick-off on the opening day of the season against Chelsea, live on Sky Sports.
Speaking ahead of the final game of the 2021/22 campaign, Frank Lampard said: "Thinking about the long-term future of the club was second on the list for me as we had to focus on the here and now of surviving. We want to take the club forward, but we have to improve.
"I have to get to work in pre-season. We hadn't had one but now myself and my staff do. Can we make the squad stronger and more balanced? I believe we can. There will be times to rest, but it's important we look at it quickly.
"We have Kevin Thelwell now (as Director of Football) and we have the board that are interested in getting the best out of this club as we don't want to be here next season. We understand that if we don't make positive moves, it's possible."
So far, the free transfer of James Tarkowski is the only signing Lampard has made while Richarlison needed to be sold.
Everton were not happy with the overall £60m package for the Brazilian, but had to accept that fee to ensure Lampard has wriggle room in the transfer market.
Previous missteps during the Farhad Moshiri era have forced the club's hand. Everton were under pressure to bring themselves in line with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules before the end of their financial year, which was midnight on July 1.
It means their summer transfer activity is only a fortnight old but upon arriving in the 'land of opportunity', it is important Everton now start acting like a big club and not an open buffet for the elite to cherry-pick their best players.
It was widely accepted that at least one of their most valued assets needed to be offloaded, but further key outgoings are not anticipated.
Everton have not entertained any interest from Newcastle in academy graduate Anthony Gordon - the "new face at No 10" having been given the shirt number to highlight his importance to the club's future - while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jordan Pickford are also both expected to form the nucleus of what Lampard is shaping.
What Richarlison's departure has highlighted is just how reliant the side were on his goal contributions last term with six of his 10 league goals coming in the final nine matches.
Andros Townsend was second on the list of goals (seven in all competitions) and his last appearance came in March before he suffered a serious knee injury. As ever, there is a waiting game with possible targets, a domino effect that can only occur when there is clarity elsewhere.
Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja are both on the club's radar but both are part of Chelsea's training camp currently in Los Angeles as Thomas Tuchel assesses whether the pair will form a part of his first-team plans this season.
It is hoped that Calvert-Lewin's annus horribilis will in time be viewed as the outlier rather than his prolific 2021/22 campaign under Carlo Ancelotti, but Everton cannot look backwards.
"Our Motto is Our Standard" read one banner outside the famous old ground - as seen in the stands during last season - and it is precisely how the club must operate. Nil satis nisi optimum (Nothing But the Best is Good Enough) is the only way to douse the fan discontent.
Thelwell's arrival as director of football brings fresh eyes to the project and wipes clean the slate of misdealings in the transfer market. Interest in potential signings remains too much in the public spotlight, but it is encouraging that Thelwell has remained on Merseyside to give some impetus to Everton's slow start in the window.
It was common knowledge that Everton were interested in signing Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks, who had been told by Spurs to find a new club this summer, but those talks are at an impasse.
There is a desire to prise Morgan Gibbs-White away from Wolves, but the Midlands club want more than the initial £25m offer - aware he has two years to run on his contract but also aware of the buying club's history of paying a premium for those who aren't even integral to first-team plans.
As is so often the case with Everton, it appears their summer business will stretch deep into August - but the Winks case at least shows they are acting differently when it comes to moving on from targets if a deal doesn't suit both parties. They should do the same with Gibbs-White and cast their net wider if Wolves' value of the England Under-21 international doesn't decrease.
Lampard is also an admirer of Watford forward Emmanuel Dennis but again it comes down to the same issue - at what price.
Everton's final game of the season was a 5-1 loss at Arsenal, who they now face in a similarly low-stakes environment in the States. The nature of the Palace game three days earlier meant the drop-off in intensity was understandable, but Lampard will be more concerned if a similar result was to be dished out this time around.
Richarlison was missing that day due to injury, but his absence is now permanent. Filling the creative void - with supporters onside - is essential if any such sense of foreboding is to be eased in the coming weeks.
While all pre-season results should be taken with a pinch of salt, hitting the ground running next season is precisely what Everton and Lampard need given the current outlook.
Former Everton forward Tony Cottee told Sky Sports:
"There are huge parallels with when I was at the club in 1993/94 in what went on last season. We even started well that year too but ended up just surviving. There was unrest at boardroom level, an unpopular manager so there were a lot of similarities. James Tarkowski has been signed, but I feel they need a few more players.
"I still feel Everton need to get in another centre forward as that will keep you in the Premier League more than signing defenders. The squad wasn't brilliant last season and now it's lost one of the best players in Richarlison. They're now relying on Dominic Calvert-Lewin to score the goals and he's a bit hit and miss.
"If you don't have someone who can score you 10 or 11 Premier League goals then Everton will be in trouble again - that's my big worry. I feel Frank is a good appointment and I'm really pleased Everton have stayed up otherwise people will have questioned him as a manager but he'll be under pressure if they start poorly.
"They need a few more signings otherwise I feel it'll be another season of struggle."
Everton will begin their 2022/23 Premier League campaign with the visit of Chelsea to Goodison Park - live on Sky Sports - as Frank Lampard faces his former club seeking a winning start to the new season.
Richarlison scored the only goal of the game when the two sides last met in April to spark a run of 10 points from five games which preserved Everton's top-flight status for a 69th successive season. The game is live on Sky Sports at 5.30pm on August 6.
The Toffees will hope to avoid any such relegation fears this time around, and will face trips to Aston Villa (August 13), Brentford (August 27) and Leeds (August 30) after the season's curtain-raiser - with a home game against Nottingham Forest (August 20) sandwiched in between a hectic opening month.
The first Merseyside derby of the season comes next on September 3 at Goodison with the reverse fixture at Anfield falling on February 11. Everton's final fixture before the pause for the World Cup is away to Bournemouth on November 12.
The Premier League season resumes on Boxing Day with Everton hosting Wolves, while their campaign ends on May 28 with Bournemouth coming to Merseyside.
