Everton transfer news

THERE seems to finally be light at the end of the tunnel for Everton.Just before Christmas last year the ownership of the club was finally stabilised with the Friedkin Group completing the deal to purchase the club from the previous owner Farhad Moshiri.David Moyes has transformed Everton’s fortunes by freeing up their attacking spiritCredit: RexThis should pose a major issue for Ruben Amorim when they visit the ToffeesCredit: GettyProgress has continued with the building of a new stadium, with the club expected to be playing home games there from the start of next season.And that has been bolstered by an upturn in form following the return of David Moyes, with four wins from the six Premier League games he has taken charge of.The in-form Toffees take their new manager bounce into a clash with Moyes’ old club Manchester United, whom he originally left Everton in 2013 to manage before he was sacked ten months later.Below we look at the subtle tactical changes Moyes has made since taking charge and how these will make life very difficult for the Red Devils this weekend.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLA more modern approachOne of the most undeserved criticisms levelled at Moyes throughout his career is that he is a tactical ‘dinosaur’ who had not been able to keep up with the tactical shifts of the modern game. This is a lazy criticism of the Scot as he has consistently shown clever tactical features in his teams. Everton were very organised under Sean Dyche, so much so that it stifled their attacking approach with too few players making supporting attacking runs in favour of keeping the team compact.One of the first changes Moyes implemented saw the defensive line shift from a back four to a more fluid structure, with Jake O’Brien coming in at right-back and playing a deeper, more hybrid role.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSThis has allowed Vitalii Mykolenko on the left side to move higher and join the attack with the back line shifting into a three. This slight tweak has allowed Everton to remain strong in their defensive structure while also releasing more players to join the attack.10,000 attend test event at Everton’s new stadiumHere, we can see the back three shape from Everton now under MoyesThis switch to a back three in possession created more opportunities for creative attacking patterns through the centre and down the left-hand side of the pitch.The movement and attacking intent of Mykolenko have been key to this by creating overloads as he pushes forward. With Everton now being less structured in the way they attack and penetrate into the final third they are clearly more difficult to defend against and they are starting to create more chances on goal.This more creative approach in possession will be difficult for Ruben Amorim’s side to deal with, as a number of teams have already had great success against his 3-4-3 system.Here Mykolenko combines down the left by looking to play combinations with attacking playersThe movement of Mykolenko and his combinations down the left provide threat, but they are only present now because of the change in the way the defensive line has been structured.Moyes has retained the defensive strength of the Everton team while unlocking more attacking creativity just with a change in role from the right-back.Unlocking the threat in the centreWe have already touched on Moyes changing the basic structure of Everton to get the best out of Iliam Ndiaye on the left side of the pitch. Under Dyche we saw how rigid Everton were when they attacked with the front three being supported, for the most part, by one midfield player. But under Moyes, the left-sided attacker has more freedom to drift in and out of the channels or even the central spaces.Unfortunately for Everton, Ndiaye has picked up an injury and is facing at least a few weeks on the sidelines.Jack Harrison is likely to fill in the left-sided attacking role this weekend given he came on for the stricken Ndiaye when he got injured against Liverpool.Despite Harrison having a very different profile to Ndiaye, the role will remain fluid with Harrison coming inside to receive in pockets of space where he can get turned to attack and hurt the opposition with his ball-carrying ability.The left winger can bring threat for Everton when receiving wide with Mykolenko immediately overlappingHaving a player with the profile of a Ndiaye or a Harrison who can carry the ball in the channels or even centrally and force defenders to engage them will immediately create space and time in the final third.This will be especially important against the Red Devils who have struggled in recent weeks with an inability to deal with intelligent movement and positioning.We saw this in their last game against Spurs with James Maddison having a real impact with his positioning and creativity. This is why the left-sided attacker and their movement into central areas will be extremely important this coming weekend.Alternatively, here Jack Harrison has narrowed off to get the ball in a more central area and create an overloadThis weekend expect to see Moyes release Harrison with Mykolenko regularly making aggressive runs to stretch the pitch and occupy the right wing-back for United, likely to be one of Diogo Dalot or Patrick Dorgu.How United react and deal with the overload in central areas could be key in the deciding the outcome.More attacking presence and chance creationOne of the clear improvements since Moyes took over from Dyche has been the ability for Everton to create goal scoring opportunities.They have gone from being one of the worst teams in the league in terms of the quantity and quality of chances created to being one of the best. Much of the credit for this goes to Moyes for getting the best out of players like Ndiaye – though he is out of the Man Utd clash through injury – and Beto in the attacking third.Crucially, the Toffees are now willing to commit more players into attacking positions in all areas of the pitch. This sees them stretching the width of the opposition defensive structure and sending more runners from central areas in order to overload the opposition through the middle.Everton are now far braver by attacking in numbers during transitionTheir willingness to send numbers forward in the attacking phase will be an important tactical concept this weekend against Man Utd. Part of the issues they have faced so far this season have been their lack of organisation in defensive transitions. Teams that can stretch them and attack aggressively with numbers, especially centrally, can really hurt Amorim’s set-up.It will be interesting to see whether Moyes keeps with the same structure and style of play against Man Utd, who managed a 4-0 win against Everton when Amorim previously faced Everton under Dyche.Here we see Everton willing to commit multiple players into attacking positionsThere is no doubt Amorim’s side will have to push and attack as they look to find some form and create chances of their own. This will leave them vulnerable to being attacked on the counter attack and this has been a clear strength of Everton so far under Moyes.READ MORE SUN STORIESConclusionWhile it is difficult to be too critical of the job Dyche did at Everton, there is no doubt Everton are looking far more settled and effective under Moyes. If they can secure all three points this weekend when United visit Goodison Park, Everton should comfortably climb the table. More

DAVID MOYES could be set for a stunning return to Everton after 12 years.The Toffees sacked Sean Dyche just three hours before their FA Cup victory over Peterborough.Sean Dyche has been axed by Everton after an angry confrontationCredit: GettyDavid Moyes has been tipped for a stunning return to the clubCredit: GettyBillionaire majority owner Dan Friedkin dumped Dyche, 53, after whatis believed to have been an angry confrontation with the club’s hierarchy.The club are currently 16th in the Premier League and one point outside of the relegation zone with a game in hand.However, the decision was made that a change in the dugout was needed, and Moyes is one of the frontrunners for the job.The Scot, 61, spent 11 years at Goodison Park as the manager between 2002 and 2013.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLHe left the club for Manchester United as the successor to Sir Alex Ferguson after the legend retired.Moyes’ last game in charge of Everton saw the side lose 2-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.The result meant that they had to settle for a sixth-placed finish, a position fans could only dream of at the moment.His team was full of notable players, including a former Manchester United flop, cult hero and Everton heroes.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSHere is a look at the starting eleven from the match against Chelsea back in 2013.Tim HowardThe American shot-stopper was in the goal for Everton against Chelsea.Darren Ferguson says Everton star ‘had a pop at me’ for not bringing on Ashley Young’s son TylerHoward, 45, continued playing into his advanced years in the US second tier with Memphis 901 and only retired in October 2024.He could be considered a Premier League legend having made 399 appearances in the competition for Everton and Manchester United.Seamus ColemanSeamus Coleman (R) joined Leighton Baines on the touchline against PeterboroughCredit: GettyColeman, 36, is the one player remaining in the Everton squad from Moyes’ last game.He was in the dugout as a coach for the victory over Posh in the absence of a permanent manager.The Irishman was signed by Moyes for just £60,000 from Sligo Rovers and has gone on to make over 400 appearances for the Toffees.Phil JagielkaJagielka, 42, is another player who can be considered a legend by the Goodison faithful.He spent 12 years at the club between spells at Sheffield United and made 385 appearances.Jagielka continued playing until 2023 after spells with Derby County and Stoke City.Sylvain DistinDistin, 47, was also a staple of the Premier League during his playing career.He made 469 appearances in the competition across spells with Manchester City, Portsmouth, Everton and Bournemouth.Leighton BainesLeighton Baines joined Everton from Wigan in 2007Credit: Getty Images – GettyThe starring left-back played for Everton for 13 years after his  £6million switch from Wigan in 2007.Baines, 40, retired from playing in 2020 and has been coaching at the club ever since.He was named interim manager of the club after Dyche’s sacking alongside Coleman.Kevin MirallasThe Belgian winger was one of Everton’s most exciting players in the team against Chelsea.Mirallas was inconsistent during his time in Merseyside with the ability to win games or ghost completely.He faded out of the team towards the end of his Everton career and last played for Cypriot side AEL Limassol before retiring in 2023.Darron GibsonGibson, 37, joined Everton in 2012 after failing to succeed at Manchester United.The midfielder spent five years as a Toffee but was restricted to just 51 appearances in the Premier League for the club.He last played for Salford City in 2020 before breaking his leg against Port Vale.Marouane FellainiMarouane Fellaini left Everton to join Moyes at Manchester UnitedCredit: PA:Press AssociationFellaini is the third star of the team to have links to the Red Devils.The midfielder joined Moyes at Old Trafford in a £27.5m transfer and went on to make 177 appearances for the club.Often the brunt of jokes due to his limited play style, he did chip in with 22 goals, including late winners against Arsenal, Club Brugge, Leicester City and BSC Young Boys.Steven PienaarThe South African was one of the most reliable players of the Moyes reign at Everton.He spent eight seasons with the club across two spells and left for good to Sunderland in 2016.He retired from football in 2018 at Johannesburg-based side Bidvest Wits.Steven NaismithNaismith joined Everton in 2011 and was steady but not spectacular player for the player.He spent four years at the club and scored 26 goals in 123 appearances for the club.He left in 2015 for Norwich City before returning to Scotland in 2017.Victor AnichebeVictor Anichebe scored 18 times in the Prem for EvertonCredit: Action Images – ReutersThe striker also left Goodison Park shortly after Moyes, having spent seven years at the club.READ MORE SUN STORIESHe was never prolific and only managed 18 goals in 131 league appearances for the club.After leaving the Toffees, he had notable spells at West Brom and Sunderland before his last club Beijing Enterprises.Next Permanent Everton Manager – OutrighttalkSPORT BET oddsDavid Moyes – 4/7Jose Mourinho – 9/4Lee Carsley – 5/1Leighton Baines – 5/1Thomas Frank – 8/1Paulo Fonseca – 10/1Rob Edwards – 16/1Steve Cooper – 25/1Edin Terzic – 25/1David Wagner – 25/1Think YOU know who could replace Sean Dyche as Everton manager? 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