Everton's relegation rivals:The only saving grace for Everton this season?
With Everton’s ambitious new stadium set for completion ahead of the 2024/25 season, the Toffees know it’s more important than ever to stabilise their EPL status in the 2023/24 campaign.
Everton’s coach, Sean Dyche was considered to have performed admirably in order to retain Everton’s Premier League status for another season. However, the man still has plenty of work on his hands, as the Toffees’ 23/24 early season form highlights.
Everton are on course for an even worse 2023/24 than last season
After their opening nine league games – equating to a quarter of the season – Everton have just seven points, with two wins, one draw and six defeats. Using this form as a barometer, if Everton maintain this throughout the season, they’d end the campaign with around 28-29 points. That’s seven or eight points less than last season.
The one saving grace for Everton and Dyche is the weakness of teams in the lower reaches of the 23/24 EPL table. Newly promoted Sheffield United have picked up just one point from their opening nine games. Meanwhile Burnley, last season’s runaway EFL Championship winners, have also registered just four points from nine matches. Even AFC Bournemouth have mustered just three draws and six defeats in the same timeframe.
Luton Town, who won the EFL Championship playoff final, were also expected to struggle this term given their minnow status at this level. Although they sit outside the relegation places after the opening quarter of the season – albeit by a single point – they’re still heavily tipped to struggle come May.
Newly promoted Sheffield United and Luton Town are given very little chance of survival from sportsbook traders. The Blades and Hatters are rated as short as 1.12 and 1.20 respectively with Nigerian sports betting operator Betano. As for Everton, they’re currently fifth favourites for the drop, priced at 4.00 ahead of Burnley (2.65) and AFC Bournemouth (2.25).
The gap is widening between Everton and their biggest rivals
Everton recently locked horns with their Merseyside rivals Liverpool in the first derby game of the season at Anfield. Everton were reduced to ten men in the opening half and clung on bravely until the 75th minute when Mo Salah broke the deadlock from the penalty spot. Liverpool went on to clinch a comfortable 2-0 win, cementing the vast gap between the two teams that’s grown significantly in the last decade.
The club have had to cut their cloth accordingly in recent seasons due to Financial Fair Play (FFP). Their squad looks much lighter on quality as a result, especially at the top end of the pitch. Striker, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, is their main focal point but he is injury prone which is a major issue for Everton and Dyche. With the likes of Beto and Arnaut Danjuma to rely on in Calvert-Lewin’s absence, it’s a risky situation for Everton in the final third.
What does the club’s long-term future look like?
The Toffees’ uncertainty surrounding the ownership of the club also poses issues. Current majority owner, Farhad Moshiri, has spent hundreds of millions of pounds in the pursuit of establishing Everton as a domestic and European force. Many argue the bulk of this investment has been wasted, with Moshiri admitting his failure at the helm by putting the club up for sale this year. American firm 777 Partners are bidding to take control of the Toffees, purchasing Moshiri’s 94.1% stake in full.
The buyout remains subject to ratification from the EPL, Football Association and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). 777 already has a stable of professional football clubs which it owns across the world, including prestigious names like Sevilla, Vasco da Gama and Hertha Berlin. However, its buyout of Everton would comfortably be its biggest to date. Maintaining EPL status this term must be the aim to make their new Bramley Moore Dock stadium switch a commercial success. Anything less could put the club’s long-term future in serious jeopardy – the pressure is on.