Sean Dyche was unable to shake the early-season hoodoo that has plagued him throughout his Premier League career but he has steered Everton away from the danger area following the resurgence of recent fixtures.
Everton fans have been put through the wringer over the past several years but with the Friedkin Group’s takeover from Farhad Moshiri expected to be finalised by the end of the year, light, precious light, can be seen at the end of the tunne
Frank Lampard‘s dismissal, coming up to two years ago, was the correct decision, for the Toffees had lost their way and were 19th in the Premier League when the Chelsea legend was dismissed from duties in January 2023. Dyche instilled resilience and redirected the outfit.
Last season, let’s not forget that Everton’s 15th-placed finish, 14 points above relegated Luton Town, was actually formed by the points deduction for previous financial breaches. The Merseysiders actually claimed 48 points on the pitch, technically putting them alongside Bournemouth in 12th.
There was hope that this foundation could be built on, and it is being built on. A tough summer transfer window was navigated. Things might just be looking up.
Everton’s summer transfer window
Everton entered the summer market with their points deduction fresh in their mind. Further breaches were inconceivable, and so the pieces had to be moved around tactfully
A challenging summer didn’t leave the Goodison Park side empty-handed, with Jake O’Brien shoring up the defence after signing from Lyon for £17m. Iliman Ndiaye also joined from Marseille for £15m in what has injected some crackling energy into the frontline.
Everton turned a profit of £17m, effectively replacing him with Iroegbunam, whose signing was covered by Dobbin’s departure and Mangala, who is a loanee.
In the Premier League this season, Everton have won 50.7% of their total duels contested, as per Sofascore, an infinitesimal decrease from last term’s 50.9% success rate.
Onana might have been a key factor behind last season’s success in the duel, winning a whopping 66% of his challenges across his final year as an Evertonian, with an eye-catching rate of six per game, but Everton have since compensated through the addition of Iroegbunam’s aerial prowess (83% success rate) and Mangala’s assured combativeness on the ground (58% success rate).
Let’s not forget that the Blues banked a pretty penny for the Belgian’s sale. He didn’t exactly arrive off the back of a small fee but did enough in the years since to convince Villa that his high-priced valuation was one worth meeting.
Candidly, Unai Emery‘s outfit were correct: Onana has been immense so far and was hailed as “the type of character Villa need in the most challenging Emery’s position” by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell at the start of the season.
| Amadou Onana: Premier League Stats (23/24 vs 24/25) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Match Stats | 23/24 | 24/25 |
| Matches (starts) | 30 (23) | 7 (7) |
| Goals | 2 | 2 |
| Assists | 0 | 0 |
| Shots (on target)* | 1.0 (0.2) | 0.9 (0.3) |
| Touches* | 45.4 | 44.0 |
| Pass completion | 85% | 90% |
| Key passes* | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Dribbles completed* | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Ball recoveries* | 5.3 | 3.3 |
| Tackles + interceptions* | 3.1 | 4.2 |
| Total duels won* | 6.0 (66%) | 5.6 (55%) |
| Stats via Sofascore (* = per game) | ||
Even so, Everton are getting on by. Onana was hardly Dyche’s most trusted lieutenant after starting just 23 Premier League matches last season, beginning from the bench on seven occasions.
Perhaps the dismal start to the season had given rise to fears that a blunder had been made, but this Everton squad is settling into its skin and with Fulham travelling to Goodison Park in the top flight on Saturday, there’s a good chance for Dyche to lift his team even fur
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