As their long trophy drought continued throughout the 2000s, Everton slowly found themselves drifting into mediocrity. For a club with its history, a single FA Cup win in 25 years isn’t reflective of the Toffees’ status in English football. However, when Everton’s sporting director, Marcel Brands, secured Carlo Ancelotti on a three-year deal in December 2019, there was a sense that something was finally happening again at Goodison Park.
While the three time Champions League winning coach has yet to fully implement his style, there are indications that Everton may be out to trouble the Premier League’s traditional top six clubs in the 2020-21 campaign. So, let’s take a look at whether Ancelotti’s side will be this year’s surprise package.
Sensible Additions Show Signs of Promise
As per a report from the Liverpool Echo from August 4th, 2020, Everton have spent nearly £450 million on new players over the past four seasons. For their money, this investment has seen them recruit the likes of Alex Iwobi, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jordan Pickford and many more. Aside from Richarlison, who arrived from Watford in a £50 million deal in July 2018, the Toffees have yet to see much of a return from many of their costly additions.
Too often, the club looked to be lacking a forward-thinking plan, with purchases being made at high costs through short-term thinking. However, under Ancelotti, few can argue that his vision is starting to take shape.
At the time of this writing, the Merseyside club have signed Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan, and James Rodriguez. In their opening game of the 2020-21 season, the former Real Madrid manager started each of his new recruits, and each played their role as Everton defeated Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham.
While Allan and Doucoure will undoubtedly do the hard-working jobs desired by Ancelotti, Rodriguez is very much a luxury addition. The Colombian will provide the Toffees with much-needed creativity, while also helping to grow the club’s supporter base because of his world-renowned reputation. Moreover, the team’s global status will also be aided by the newly-introduced legality of sports betting in various American states, such as Colorado. For example, following the Supreme Court decision of 2018, prospective players can now explore numerous Premier League markets at CO online sports betting operators, such as William Hill, who offer sign-up bonuses to new users.
Under the Guidance of a World-Class Manager
Since long-standing manager, David Moyes, left Goodison Park for Old Trafford in June 2013, the Toffees have had nine different managers, some of which were in interim positions, as per Soccer Base. It’s apparent from this stat that the Merseyside team have lacked stability for much of the last decade. Although Roberto Martinez took Everton to a fifth-place finish in 2013-14, such form couldn’t be replicated by the Spaniard thereafter.
With three Champions League trophies under his belt, few can doubt the pedigree of Ancelotti, who, according to Seamus Coleman, has already shown to the Everton players that he is a world-class coach. Fundamentally, the appointment of the Italian shows the club’s genuine desire to compete with the Premier League’s big six teams in the near future.
Given that Everton haven’t shied away from spending significant amounts of money in recent years, Ancelotti crucially has the backing of the club’s hierarchy to bring silverware back to Goodison Park. While, of course, some players still remain out of reach for the Toffees, the attraction of the playing for the 61-year-old manager shouldn’t be overlooked.
Don’t Count Everton Out
Interestingly, the recent success of Wolves has somewhat taken the pressure off of Everton to be the best of the rest. In 2020-21, these lower expectations could prove beneficial to the side seeking to reclaim their status as a trophy-winning club. Despite years of mediocrity, Ancelotti won’t settle for anything less than maximum effort, and given that’s been lacking far too often in seasons gone by, there’s reason to believe that Everton could be this campaign’s surprise package.