Gaming Editor Kyle Moffat looks at the players that Everton should let go as manager Carlo Ancelotti makes his mark on the squad
Not many English football clubs can boast the success and history that Everton have. The Toffees have won a European Cup Winners’ Cup, five FA Cups and nine First Division titles in their 142-year existence. However, most football fans know that the past decade has been far from their brightest period.
The appointment of Carlo Ancelotti last December could help the club realise their ambitions and challenge football’s elite. A new manager also means changes to the squad are likely and there is no doubt a major player overhaul is needed at Goodison Park. Everton have been linked with the likes of James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucouré this summer, but who should make way this window?
Jordan Pickford
Let us start with the obvious one. Since his arrival on Merseyside, Pickford has been a controversial name. Occasionally he has a great game, but he is also prone to making poor mistakes. Rather than him, the likes of Mason Holgate and Seamus Coleman deserve the credit when Everton keep a clean sheet.
Prone to making poor mistakes
The statistics do not flatter Pickford either. Last season, he had a lower save ratio than 18 of the 19 other first-choice goalkeepers in the Premier League. He also made four errors leading to goals last season. To put it bluntly, he does not have the quality to start for a side like Everton, and Ancelotti should offload him. If he had remained with Sunderland after their 2017 relegation, his fate would be similar to Jack Butland’s at Stoke.
Yerry Mina
The second player that Everton should sell is Yerry Mina. Ancelotti has preferred the duo of Mason Holgate and Michael Keane over the Colombian international. Unfortunately, Mina’s progress has been hampered by his injuries. However, even when he has been fit, he has not been the most reliable defender and is far from the quality required for a team chasing European qualification.
Mina was signed from Barcelona after his decent performances at the 2018 World Cup, but it appears that Everton pounced too soon when the opportunity arose to sign him. It is no secret that the Toffees need to bolster their defensive options but selling Mina would be a sensible call if a replacement can be found.
Matthew Pennington
Matthew Pennington is now 25 and has still not found his place at Everton after a number of loan spells. He was last on loan at relegated Hull City and was restricted to just 14 league appearances.
As already mentioned, Everton have not exactly got a plethora of centre-backs, but it is highly doubtful that Pennington would add much quality to the team. It is time for Everton to cash in on him rather than sending him out on yet another loan spell.
Tom Davies
Competition is fierce in the Everton midfield
Tom Davies is often criticised by Everton fans and for good reason too. He is susceptible to losing possession too easily by not being strong enough on the ball, whilst his passing accuracy has not always been the best. His performances have not improved under Ancelotti, performing woefully at times.
Competition is fierce in the Everton midfield with the likes of Andre Gomes and Fabian Delph vying for places, and it is hard to see Davies becoming a permanent fixture in the line-up. At 22-years-old, he still has potential but a move away to regain his confidence would suit both parties.
Cenk Tosun
Arriving from Beskitas in January in 2018, Tosun scored five goals in 14 games in his inaugural season but has done very little since for Everton. Two years on, after a brief loan spell at Crystal Palace, he has no future in an Everton shirt. Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Moise Kean are all above him in the pecking order. It is very unlikely that he will suddenly improve at 29 years of age.
Besiktas could be a possible destination, as he enjoyed a decent spell in Turkey before leaving for Merseyside. From Ancelotti’s perspective, this would free up some wages that would be better spent on quality in other positions that need strengthening.
Sandro Ramirez
[Sandro] has managed just three goals in 61 league games
Ever since he joined Everton in 2017, Sandro has gone backwards in his development. While ineffective at Barcelona, where he came through the famous La Masia academy, the Spanish striker helped himself to 14 goals in 30 La Liga games back in the 2016/17 campaign with Malaga.
Since his arrival at Everton, however, he has played a mere eight Premier League games and failed to score a single goal. In loan spells with three Spanish clubs in the past three seasons, the 25-year-old has managed just three goals in 61 league games. Sandro looks like a shadow of his former self, and Everton will look to sell the striker who is believed to earn around £65,000 a week.
Yannick Bolasie
Yannick Bolasie is another player who has an uncertain future at Goodison Park. The winger has not reached heights that he did at Crystal Palace, but he was not helped by a nasty injury to his right anterior cruciate ligament that put him out of action for a year. After getting himself back to full fitness, Bolasie’s first team opportunities have been limited at Everton.
In more recent times, the Democratic Republic of Congo international has played his football elsewhere in loan spells at Aston Villa, Anderlecht, and Sporting Lisbon. Everton will hope to find potential suitors so that they can get Bolasie – who they paid £25 million for in 2016 – off the wage bill.
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