Everton Premier League Fixtures, Squad, Guide

It’s all change again on the blue half of Merseyside. Sam Allardyce was packed off with another big pay-off as Everton turned to former Hull and Watford boss Marco Silva. New sporting director Marcel Brands – ex PSV, who replaced chief scout Steve Walsh – has been tasked with bringing in new players. Reserve keeper Joel Robles and fringe players Jose Baxter and Conor Grant were among those released by the club, while Wayne Rooney joined Major League Soccer side DC United.

Annual wage bill – £105m (2017)

Annual income – £171m (2017)

Stadium Goodison Park (39,600)

Odds 150/1 to win Premier League

FAN’S VIEW

Lyndon Lloyd, Toffeeweb, toffeeweb.com

LAST SEASON WAS… 

Disastrous might be too strong a word because Everton didn’t get relegated, but in the context of how much the club spent last summer and the pre-season optimism that it generated for a campaign of progress under Ronald Koeman, it was dreadful. The ignominy of having to turn to a disgraced former England boss and relegation specialist in Sam Allardyce was also a damning measure of the mess the Toffees had created for themselves.

OUR BIGGEST HERO 

It says an awful lot about Everton’s season that the two heroes were a goalkeeper who conceded 58 Premier League goals and a player who didn’t kick a ball in anger until the end of January. But Jordan Pickford was the undisputed player of the season and Seamus Coleman’s triumphant return from 10 months out with a double leg fracture was a truly inspiring moment.

OUR BIGGEST VILLAIN 

Together with ex-director of football Steve Walsh, Ronald Koeman presided over a worryingly unbalanced squad that endured a horrible run of form that eventually led to his sacking in October.

YOUNGSTER TO WATCH 

Beni Baningime, the 19-year-old defensive midfielder who came into the team under David Unsworth’s temporary stewardship last October, looks to be a very good prospect.

MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER

It might turn out to be Cenk Tosun. The Turkish striker spent the latter half of the season feeding on scraps but showed himself to be a clinical and efficient finisher.

Cenk Tosun was an underrated player last season (Getty Images)

HOPES & FEARS FOR 2018-19

The hope is that a new management team – director of football Marcel Brands and manager Marco Silva – will put a more considered and less scattergun approach to recruitment in place. The fear, obviously, is that there isn’t a significant uplift in results, supporters become restless or fear sets in and the club struggles again at the wrong end of the table.

Everton Premier League Squad

Name Age/d.o.b. Signed/prev club

GOALKEEPERS
Jordan Pickford (24) 07.03.94 2017 / Sunderland
Maarten Stekelenburg (Hol) (35) 22.09.82 2016 / Fulham

DEFENDERS
Leighton Baines (33) 11.12.84 2007 / Wigan Athletic
Tyias Browning (24) 27.05.94 2004 / youth
Seamus Coleman (RoI) (29) 11.10.88 2009 / Sligo Rovers (RoI)
Mason Holgate (21) 22.10.96 2015 / Barnsley
Phil Jagielka (35) 17.08.82 2007 / Sheffield United
Michael Keane (25) 11.01.93 2017 / Burnley
Jonjoe Kenny (21) 15.03.97 2006 / youth
Cuco Martina (Cur) (28) 25.09.89 2017 / Southampton
Matthew Pennington (23) 06.10.94 205 / youth
Ashley Williams (Wal) (33) 23.08.84 2016 / Swansea City
Yerry Mina (Col) (23) 23.09.1994 2018 / Barcelona
Lucas Digne (Fra) (25) 20.07.1993 2018 / Barcelona

MIDFIELDERS
Beni Baningime (DRC) (19) 09.09.98 2007 / youth
Muhamed Besic (Bos) (25) 10.09.92 2014 / Ferencvaros (Hun)
Tom Davies (20) 30.06.98 2009 / youth
Idrissa Gueye (Sen) (28) 26.09.89 2016 / Aston Villa
James McCarthy (RoI) (27) 12.11.90 2013 / Wigan Athletic
Morgan Schneiderlin (Fra) (28) 08.11.89 2017 / Manchester United
Gylfi Sigurdsson (Ice) (28) 08.09.89 2017 / Swansea City
Nikola Vlasic (Cro) (20) 04.10.97 2017 / Hajduk Split (Cro)
Andre Gomes (Spa) (25) 30.07.1993 2018 / Barcelona
Bernard (Bra) 2018 (25) 08.09.1992 / Shakhtar Donetsk

FORWARDS
Yannick Bolasie (DRC) (29) 24.05.89 2016 / Crystal Palace
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (21) 16.03.97 2016 / Sheffield United
Ademola Lookman (20) 20.10.97 2017 / Charlton Athletic
Kevin Mirallas (Blg) (30) 05.10.87 2012 / Olympiakos (Gre)
Oumar Niasse (Sen) (28) 18.04.90 2016 / Lokomotiv Moscow (Rus)
Sandro RamIrez (Spa) (23) 09.07.95 2017 / Malaga (Spa)
Shani Tarashaj (Swi) (23) 07.02.95 2016 / Grasshoppers (Swi)
Cenk Tosun (Tur) (27) 07.06.91 2018 / Besiktas (Tur)
Theo Walcott (29) 16.03.89 2018 / Arsenal
Richarlison (Bra) (21) 10.05.1997 2018 / Watford

MANAGER
Marco Silva (Por) (41) 12.07.77 2018 / Watford

Marco Silva, the newly appointed Everton manager (Getty Images)

Everton Premier League Fixtures

Aug 11 Wolves (a) – drew 2-2

Aug 18 Southampton (h) – won 2-1

Aug 25 Bournemouth (a) – drew 2-2

Sep 1 Huddersfield (h) – drew 1-1

Sep 16 West Ham (h) – lost 3-1

Sep 23 Arsenal (a) – won 2-0

Sep 29 Fulham (h) – won 3-0

Oct 6 Leicester (a) – won 2-1

Oct 20 Crystal Palace (h) – won 2-0

Oct 27 Man Utd (a) – lost 2-1

Nov 3 Brighton (h) – won 3-1

Nov 10 Chelsea (a)

Nov 24 Cardiff (h)

Dec 1 Liverpool (a)

Dec 5 Newcastle (h)

Dec 8 Watford (h)

Dec 15 Man City (a)

Dec 22 Tottenham (h)

Dec 26 Burnley (a)

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Dec 29 Brighton (a)

Jan 1 Leicester (h)

Jan 12 Bournemouth (h)

Jan 19 Southampton (a)

Jan 29 Huddersfield (a)

Feb 2 Wolves (h)

Feb 9 Watford (a)

Feb 23 Man City (h)

Feb 26 Cardiff (a)

Mar 2 Liverpool (h)

Mar 9 Newcastle (a)

Mar 16 Chelsea (h)

Mar 30 West Ham (a)

Apr 6 Arsenal (h)

Apr 13 Fulham (a)

Apr 20 Man Utd (h)

Apr 27 Crystal Palace (a)

May 4 Burnley (h)

May 12 Tottenham (a)

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