Everton secured their fifth signing of a busy summer when Jake O’Brien’s move from Coventry City was completed on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old was revealed as a Blue after the club swooped for a player who had been on their radar for some time but looked set to be targeted by Premier League rivals last week.
The towering centre back could make his first appearance in the friendly at Preston North End, where supporters could also get their first glimpse of another new signing, Jesper Lindstrom.
Will anyone else head through the doors of Finch Farm? Sean Dyche said it was unlikely at this stage but teased: “Wait and see.” Here, the ECHO’s Blues writers look at what their priority would now be after O’Brien’s arrival.
Given the difficult parameters that they’re operating in, I’ve been satisfied with Everton’s squad rebuilding so far this summer and the way in which they have navigated the transfer window.
However, as we enter the final month before the deadline, you’ve got to wonder whether there will be any more twists and turns.
Despite having just seen his side defeated 3-0 at Championship Coventry City, Blues boss Sean Dyche seemed in a jocular mood when questioned about speculation that the arrival of his latest recruit, Jake O’Brien, might have been drafted in as a replacement for Jarrad Branthwaite. Dyche insisted the acquisition of the Irishman was in no way linked to Everton’s retention of their most-valuable asset, with the club planning to keep him unless a mega offer is submitted. So far, Manchester United – or anybody else for that matter – have been unwilling to come close to doing that.
What seems less clear-cut is the future of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has now entered the final 12 months of his current contract and shown no sign of penning the new deal offered to him. If Goodison Park chiefs were to cash in on their number nine ahead of the historic final season before moving to the new stadium, they would surely need to bring in another striker of sufficient calibre rather than gambling everything on Portuguese pair Beto and Youssef Chermiti, who netted just three times in 48 Premier League games between them last term.
Even if the Blues’ main striker stays, given that Amadou Onana and Andre Gomes have gone, Idrissa Gueye will be 35 in September and, while showing some encouraging signs in pre-season, Tim Iroegbunam is still very much a rookie, I’d probably like to see another reinforcement in the engine room.
A proven Premier League performer with a point to prove, like Kalvin Phillips, who Dyche is a long-term admirer of, could fit the bill.
The business achieved so far has been positive. Significant sums have been brought in without the sale of starlet Jarrad Branthwaite, with the club successfully channeling the outgoing business into areas it has been happy to discuss.
The wide areas were a major concern at the start of the summer, but the return of Jack Harrison and deals for Jesper Lindstrom and Iliman Ndiaye offer new options.
These include, through the latter two, the ability to turn to pace and trickery, attributes that were not available to Dyche last season.
Tim Iroegbunam looks sharp and Jake O’Brien provides an additional layer of strength to a backline that suffered an alarm call with James Tarkowski’s pre-season issue.
Vitalii Mykolenko was one of the best players of last season for me, and I am nervous following his three injuries in four months.
However, O’Brien’s arrival could also allow Branthwaite to offer some cover on the left if desperate. So the deals achieved to date do, for me, leave the squad stronger.
The priority now has to be finding a solution to the uncertainty over the future of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The striker may have struggled in the pre-season games so far, but whatever anyone says, he is the best striker at the club, integral to Dyche’s style of play, and better than any replacement likely to be affordable.
That being said, money is king, and this is a final summer to bring in a fee for the striker. This is poignant given the importance of financial diligence and increasingly relevant should he decide not to sign the new terms offered to him. I would love Beto to step up, and Youssef Chermiti has looked very promising in pre-season so far.
However, a season without Calvert-Lewin remains a daunting prospect. So if his position can be resolved quickly, it would be helpful because Everton would need time to plot the strategy for dealing with any departure.
