Everton have plenty of problems, but Sean Dyche will be hoping that Dominic Calvert-Lewin can stay fit and that his frontline can muster enough firepower to rise above the relegation one and avoid another fear-inducing battle against the drop.
It’s not been a great few years for the Merseysiders, though last term’s travails were somewhat skewed by an eight-point deduction in the Premier League. Take that away, and the Toffees actually finished 12th, only one point behind Crystal Palace in the top ten.
He’d complete 152 appearances over five years, scoring 53 goals and assisting 13 more, but when Tottenham Hotspur came calling in 2022 and presented the club with a £60m offer, it was accepted in a heartbeat.
And that recouped sum looks to be more and more masterful business by the month, with the Brazil international foundering through his debut campaign in the capital, scoring one Premier League goal across 27 matches, even being branded a “joke” by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino.
Richarlison might have been a menace for the Blues but he’s fallen by the wayside since leaving, albeit enjoying a bright purple patch during the 2023/24 season.
Still, as per Football Transfers, the 26-year-old is currently worth just £28m, meaning that he has suffered a depreciation totalling £32m, or, to put it another way, a 53% drop.
And anyway, Everton now has a talented winger who’s more valuable than their erstwhile talisman, and his name is Dwight McNeil.
Everton have hit gold on Dwight McNeil
Lauded for his “magic” creative quality by journalist Joe Thomas, McNeil is a playmaking monster and has been one of Everton’s most underrated players since signing from Burnley in 2022 for a £20m fee by then-manager Frank Lampard.
Everton might have made a torrid start to the campaign but McNeil has been breathtaking. As per Sofascore, the 24-year-old has averaged 4.3 key passes per game and he is proving to be a linchpin for a side that views his playmaking ability as indispensable.
And it’s reflected through his rise in value. Football Transfers record McNeil at £30m, meaning that he is higher-rated than Richarlison and enjoying a more significant impact over these past few years.
| Premier League 23/24: Most Big Chances Created | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Club | Stat |
| 1. | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 22 |
| 2. | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 21 |
| 2. | Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | 21 |
| 4. | Son Heung-min | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 |
| 5. | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | 17 |
| 5. | Dwight McNeil | Everton | 17 |
| 5. | Cole Palmer | Chelsea | 17 |
| 5. | Martin Odegaard | Arsenal | 17 |
| Stats via Premier League | |||
He’s been fantastic, and though Everton have endured a bleak beginning to the 2024/25 season, with players such as McNeil fighting to restore prominence and the feel-good factor, there’s every chance that the future could be brighter on the blue half of Merseyside.
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