Paul Merson feels Everton dealt Rafa Benitez a ‘bad hand’ from the off with their transfers for Demarai Gray, Andros Townsend and Salomon Rondon, via his Daily Star column.
Farhad Moshiri hired Benitez to take up their hot seat after Carlo Ancelotti jumped ship for Real Madrid in June. But the Toffees could not afford to strengthen the Spaniard’s squad as in-depth as he would have wanted as they wrestled Financial Fair Play rules in the summer.
Past overspending and an inability to recoup sizable fees meant the Blues had no room to splash big sums. Instead, Gray, Townsend and Rondon were Benitez’s marquee arrivals.
The trio joined alongside goalkeepers Asmir Begovic and Andy Lonergan, with the Toffees spending just £1.5m in total. A sign of the times for them after recording £140m in losses.
Gray and Townsend’s arrivals at Everton concerned Merson, as he doubted either were up to the standard they needed. Both have since proven integral to Benitez’s system and have impressed the pundit, but he still cannot believe Rondon plays in a Royal Blue jersey.
“Benitez was dealt a bad hand in the summer because he only got to bring in players like Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray,” Merson wrote.
“When I saw those signings at the time I thought: ‘Wow, they’re not Everton players.’
“To be fair, they have done alright, Gray especially. But Salomon Rondon? My god…”
Gray and Townsend have proved their worth to Everton, but Rondon has not
Gray has scored four goals and provided two assists over his 14 Premier League games with Everton so far. The 25-year-old is the Toffees’ top-scorer ahead of Townsend and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who have both scored three goals so far.
Only Abdoulaye Doucoure (4) has provided more assists than Gray and Townsend (2), as well. But while the wingers have shown their worth, Rondon has not.
Rondon arrived at Goodison Park on a £43k-a-week contract lacking fitness after not having a pre-season. His struggles to build his sharpness were evident throughout his early outings and he remains without a goal or an assist after 10 appearances, staring seven.
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