When Ronald Koeman joined Everton from Southampton in the summer of 2016, many saw it as a sideways step for the love of money.
“If it’s for money, I can stop tomorrow,” the Dutchman responded. “It’s more than money. You can buy two cars, but you can only drive one. Everybody knows that there was one really big reason for me to sign.
“It was all about this project, and the club is showing the ambition that everybody likes to have. There are great, exciting times ahead for Everton.”
The ambitious Farhad Moshiri, a major shareholder with 49.9% stake, promised Koeman the funds for an overhaul.
It started with the capture of Idrissa Gueye — a monster on the field, Yannick Bolasie — an exciting winger who can trouble any defence with his pace and trickery, and Morgan Schneiderlin (signed in January 2017) — a towering defensive midfielder.
A seventh-place finish wasn’t a bad start, but Koeman realised there were many holes to be filled. He wanted a new spine, and a leader with a champion’s mentality.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, centre-back Michael Keane, midfielder Davy Klaasen, and Wayne Rooney, winner of league titles at Manchester United, arrived with a minimum of fuss, in time for a full pre-season.
Sandro Ramirez and Gylfi Sigurdsson strengthened Koeman’s hand later, and a loan bid for Chelsea outcast Diego Costa to replace Romelu Lukaku is reportedly in the pipeline. The Dutchman has also been successful in integrating the club’s bright academy products and young signings — Tom Davies, Mason Holgate, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ademola Lookman — into the first team.
The newly assembled squad has the right mix of youth and experience, allowing a variety of options. With the midfielders in his ranks, Koeman is likely to use the 3-5-2 formation most often. It provides effective screening of the defence and thrust to the attack. He likes the extra man in build-up, to stretch the game and work between the lines.
In terms of game-sense, Rooney’s knowledge of securing points against mid-table sides will help Everton; his off-the-pitch role of mentoring the youngsters will be even more crucial. It’s clear that he is on board with the project. “We should be winning trophies and we’re taking steps trying to win some,” Rooney said.
Everton will have the opportunity to test its mettle over the next four matches, with the fixture list presenting Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
But the success of the club’s summer spending will be measured at the end of the season within the tight confines of the leading pack.