Everton secured Premier League survival on Thursday evening with a dramatic win against Crystal Palace, but things at Goodison Park are still far from being secure.
Indeed, while the jubilation of survival is still fresh in the mind, the reality is that Everton are still in a bit of a sticky situation.
This squad has proven that it’s not good enough, star players are likely to leave and the Toffees are still some way off where they want to be.
However, the Merseyside have a long summer ahead of them to make the necessary changes needed to their squad, and with that in mind, we’ve had a go at predicting Everton’s starting XI for next season.
We think there will be no fewer than four new additions at Goodison Park this summer.
Jordan Pickford keeps his place in goal. Tottenham have been credited with an interest in the England stopper, but we can’t imagine him ditching the Toffees anytime soon after his heroic performances towards the end of the campaign.
We expect Nathan Patterson to finally earn his shot at right-back after his arrival in January, while Sheamus Coleman is relegated to a more bit-part role as he reaches the twilight of his career.
The backline certainly needs a reset, so we’re expecting Everton to bring in two new centre-halves in the shape of Gleison Bremer, who has been linked, while Lampard may well use his Chelsea connections to bring reported target Levi Colwill to the club.
Vitaliy Mykolenko retains his place at left-back after a promising first few months in England.
Another notable difference in this team is the change in shape. Frank Lampard has largely used a back five this season, but next year, the Toffees will likely look to be more expansive, and that could see Lampard return to a 4-2-3-1 system that he preferred at both Derby and Chelsea.
Speaking of Chelsea connections, reports have emerged in recent days stating that Lampard believes he can get Conor Gallagher to Goodison Park, so he partners Abdoulaye Doucoure in the midfield.
Everton have strength on the wings, but we’re tipping another addition out wide as Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson comes into the side after reportedly holding positive talks with Everton. However, that move will likely depend on the outcome of the playoff final.
Anthony Gordon retains a spot in attacking midfield, while Demarai Gray returns on the left.
Up front, you may have noticed that we’ve been unable to pick just one striker. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison are both likely to be the subject of plenty of interest this summer, and we expect at least one of the two to leave, with the other being Everton’s first-choice number nine heading into next season.
Everton certainly need to improve, and in our view, these additions should be enough to propel the Toffees up the table and help them leave the idea of a relegation battle behind as a bad memory.
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