[FM20] Everton F.C.

[RazorsEdge]

EVERTON FOOTBALL CLUB

Introduction - Why play as Everton?:-

Why play as the blue side of Liverpool? Because you want to usurp the Reds as the top Liverpudlian team in the Premier League. In real life the Toffees are languishing down near the bottom of the table with current manager Marco Silva under a lot of pressure with many people expecting him to be on his way out the door. Much life in real life, Everton often underperform in FM20. With a decent squad to build on, albeit with some players that need to be moved on, Everton are a team that have always just been "there" and not quite good enough to crack the top 6 of the Premier League.

History:-

Everton's history is rich with the club being founded in 1878. They currently hold the record for competing in the top division of English football an incredible 116 season, only missing out 4 times since The Football League was created in 1888.

The team has a long and storied rivalry with Liverpool with the clashes against the Reds known as the Merseyside Derby. The club hasn't won any silverware since 1995 when they won the FA Cup and the FA Charity Shield. Everton have won the league a total of 10 times (9 First Division titles and 1 Second Division title) with their most recent being in the 1986/1987 season.

Everton are a club with a rich history with their most notable managers being Howard Kendall, who led them to their Division 1 wins in the 80's, and in more recent times David Moyes who led the side from 2002 until 2013 when he departed for a stint at Manchester United that would only last 10 months before his sacking after he replaced football royalty Sir Alex Ferguson.

Since Moyes left the club the team has dropped down the Premier League table to become a mid-table club finishing as low as 11th. Prior to this the club was often up amongst the big dogs of the Premier League including a 4th place finish in 2004/2005.

Flash-forward into the present and the club are currently sitting near the bottom of the Premier League. Having lost the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Ademola Lookman, and Idrissa Gueye in the recent transfer history, the club is struggling despite several big name signings. In fact, Everton spent a whopping £111M in the off-season to bring in the likes of Alex Iwobi, Fabian Delph, Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Moise Kean and André Gomes with French right-back Djibril Sidibé also joining on loan. It is this underperformance after large investment that sees Marco Silva currently hanging on to his job by a thread.

-

Everton Football Club 2019/2020 Season:-

Home Ground: Goodison Park (Capacity: 39,572)
Training Facilities: Finch Farm, Liverpool
-Suberb training facilities
-Superb data analysis facilities
-Superb youth facilities
-Good academy coaching
-Excellent youth recruitment
Media Prediction: 7th
Transfer Budget: £10M
Wage Budget: £2,344,184 p/w (£101K p/w available)

Season Thoughts:-

The club has several requirements to fulfil. Firstly it desires to build a new stadium in the next 5 years, which they will handle themselves. Next they require you to work within the wage budget, which is fair enough as it is fairly hefty for a team that has no European football. You are required to finish in the top half of the Premier League this season and at the end of the 2020/2021 season you are required to be recognised as the 'best of the rest'. Beyond that they expect you to continue being recognised as the 'best of the rest'. The board desires that you play entertaining football and for you to reach the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, both things seem doable at first glance. They would like it if you reached the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup, however this is not as important. As you can see their long term ambitions are not really too farfetched. They basically want the team to rise back to where they were under David Moyes. But this is FM, we can do better than that.

-

[RazorsEdge]

Everton Football Club 2019/2020 Squad:-

Goalkeepers:-

1. Jordan Pickford

22. Maarten Stekelenburg

49. Jonas Lössl

Defenders:-

2. Mason Holgate

3. Leighton Baines (VC)

5. Michael Keane

12. Lucas Digne

13. Yerry Mina

19. Djibril Sidibé (On loan from AS Monaco / Optional future fee of £14M)

23. Seamus Coleman (C)

30. Cuco Martina

Luke Garbutt (On loan at Ipswich)

Matthew Pennington (On loan at Hull / Optional future fee of £750K)

Midfielders:-

8. Fabian Delph + Out for 6 weeks-2 months with a groin strain

10. Gylfi Sigurðsson

18. Morgan Schneiderlin

21. André Gomes

25. Jean-Philippe Gbamin

26. Tom Davies + Out for 6-7 months with a torn thigh muscle

Mo Besic (On loan at Sheffield United)

Shani Tarashaj (On loan at FC Emmen)

Wingers:-

7. Richarlison

11. Theo Walcott

17. Alex Iwobi

20. Bernard

Yannick Bolasie (On loan at Sporting CP / Optional future fee of £3.87M)

Forwards:-

9. Dominic Calvert-Lewin

14. Cenk Tosun

27. Moise Kean

29. Oumar Niasse

Sandro (On loan at Real Vallodolid)

Best of the Rest:-

52. Nicolas Hansen (GK)

37. Lewis Gibson (DL, DC)

38. Ryan Astley (DC)

Harry Hagan (DC)

Jonjoe Kenny (DR, RWB) (On loan at Schalke 04)

34. Beni Baningime (MC, DMC)

44. Nathan Markelo (MC, AMC, DMC)

57. Bobby Carroll (MC)

Callum Connolly (MC, MR, DMC) (On loan at Lincoln)

Kieran Dowell (AMC, MC) (On loan at Derby)

42. Anthony Gordon (AML, AMC, AMR, ST)

Nathan Broadhead (AML, AMR, ST, AMC) (On loan at Burton)

Lewis Dobbin (ST, AML, AMC, AMR)

50. Ellis Simms (ST)

Fraser Hornby (ST, AMC) (On loan at KV Kortrijk)

Tom Cannon (ST)

-

Edited December 5, 2019 by RazorsEdge

[RazorsEdge]

Everton Football Club Squad Analysis:-

Overall Everton possess a squad that is strong in all key areas, although they do lack quality depth. Couple with that some bloated contracts for players that either declining with age or not good enough (lookin' at you Leighton, Seamus and Theo) and there's an obvious need for improvement. With the club already investing well over £100M in the off-season Everton only have £10M in the transfer budget, although they do have around £100K p/w in the wage budget to play with. This severely restricts what you are able to do and as such you may find yourself needing to make do with certain players until more funds become available.

Goalkeepers:-

Thankfully this is one area of the team where Everton are set. Jordan Pickford is an established an established international and at only 25 years of age he will only improve with time. Maarten Stekelenburg and Jonas Lössl are able backups however the game begins with Stekelenburg being chased by several Qatari and Arabian clubs and as his £30K p/w contract runs out at the end of the season, you may wish to cash in on him now if you are able to find another 'keeper for depth as your 4th string 'keeper Nicolas Hansen is only 17 years-old and not ready for top flight football.
VERDICT: Keep Pickford and Lössl. Consider selling Stekelenburg if you can find a cheap replacement.

Defenders:-

Another area of the squad where Everton aren't that bad off at first glance is defence. Delve a little deeper, however, and you will find an alarming lack of depth. Lucas Digne and Djibril Sidibé are both very good on the left and right flanks respectively, whilst Michael Keane is your defensive rock in the centre. Your backup for the left and right are Leighton Baines (Vice-Captain) and Seamus Coleman (Captain). Both players are feeling the effects of age and aren't viable in the long-term future. Yerry Mina is Keane's second, although the 24 year-old Colombian definitely has room for improvement I believe he will grow to be a solid player. Mason Holgate is your only other natural DC in the squad and whilst the youngster definitely has an upside to him, he really isn't ready to start Premier League football on a regular basis at this stage of his career. Jean-Philippe Gbamin can play here in a pinch, but really he is more of a midfielder. Cuco Martina rounds out the defenders at the club and he begins the game transfer listed - and rightfully so, he is terrible. Matthew Pennington is on loan at Hull with an option for them to buy which won't hurt as he'll develop into an emergency backup at best. Luke Garbutt is on loan at Ipswich and the attacking left-back has been at the club forever and should only be kept if you are struggling for home grown player limits in Europe.
VERDICT: Keep Keane, Digne, Mina, Holgate, definitely. Sign Sidibé if he is willing in the January transfer window/end of season. Keep Leighton Baines until the end of the season when his contract runs out as it isn't worth upsetting the club by selling him with only a year left. Consider selling club captain Seamus Coleman. He's on £70K p/w and if Sidibé is staying you don't need him, plain and simple. Sell Pennington and Martina (if you are able before his contract expires at season's end), consider whether you need Garbutt in the future as his contract is also up at the end of the season.

Midfielders:-

When it comes to the central midfield roles it is a bit of a mixed bag. You don't have a great deal of depth to cover three positions (2 MC's and 1 AMC). In the two deeper roles André Gomes and Fabian Delph are obvious starters but Delph is injury prone, and indeed starts the game injured for around 2 months. Backing them up will be Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Tom Davies and Morgan Schneiderlin. Gbamin will be out for 6-7 months with injury so some kind of signing here is a must. Schneiderlin is on a massive £120K p/w. Davies has a bright future as does Gbamin, depending on how he returns from injury, but Schneiderlin is a shell of his former self and isn't worthy of those wages be wary as if you sell him you will more than likely be paying some of his wages. In the attacking midfield role your obvious starter is Gylfi Sigurðsson. Unfortunately behind Gylfi your next best options are Gomes and Davies, which definitely doesn't help with the squad depth issues. You basically have 5 players to play across 3 positions since Gbamin is out injured. Backup is needed in both areas. Mo Besic and Shani Tarashaj are both out on loan but neither can be recalled. Depending on how much you can raise in transfer funds you may need to call up players such as Beni Baningime and Anthony Gordon as a short term fix. Both are bright prospects with Baningime being closer to first-team football than Gordon.
VERDICT: Keep Gomes, Gbamin, Davies and Sigurðsson. Keep Delph for now since he's just arrived but consider scouting for a long term replacement (or shape Baningime to suit). Consider whether you can get enough money for Schneiderlin and pay as little of his wages as possible to work out whether it is worth keeping him as his wages could potentially bring in 2-3 recruits. Sell Besic and Tarashaj in the future as they add little to the squad.

Wingers:-

One of the stronger areas of the squad but there is a catch - your 3 best wingers are all natural left wingers. Richarlison is your best winger but I suggest moving him over to the right wing with Alex Iwobi and Bernard covering the left. Theo Walcott provides cover on the right but is on £110K p/w. As with Schneiderlin if you move him on you are likely going to be paying some of his wages which is something you will need to consider. Reinforcement here is only really needed if you do sell Walcott. Yannick Bolasie is on loan at Sporting CP with an optional future fee that they will hopefully take up.
VERDICT: Keep Richarlison, Iwobi & Bernard. As with Schneiderlin consider the value of selling Walcott - how much will it bring in in transfer budget, how much of his wage will you have to pay, who can you get in to replace him. If Sporting don't buy Bolasie definitely sell him.

Forwards:-

Don't do anything. Okay, it isn't quite that simple. Moise Kean will be your main forward with Cenk Tosun deputising when he needs a rest and Dominic Calvert-Lewin likely getting time in the cups. Tosun is a solid player but is on wages of £67K that could be put to use elsewhere. As I said previously consider your options with him as he and Calvert-Lewin are around the same level but for now I recommend keeping him. Oumar Niasse is transfer listed and should be sold ASAP. Sandro is out on loan at Real Vallodolid and I would recommend moving him on at your earliest opportunity as he isn't any better than what is already at the club.
VERDICT: Keep Kean, Calvert-Lewin. Consider Tosun's future. Sell Niasse and Sandro.

Best of the Rest:-

Beni Baningime will probably end up replacing Fabian Delph in the long run, he looks a solid prospect and I would recommend giving him a run in cup matches. Anthony Gordon looks a solid attacking midfield/wing/striker prospect depending on how you develop him. Fraser Hornby looks like he could be a solid second choice striker in the future, maybe even first choice at a stretch. Nicolas Hansen is only 17 and should develop into a solid backup 'keeper in the future so I recommend a series of loans to help with his development. Players like Kieran Dowell, Jonjoe Kenny and Ellis Simms all have bright futures and I suggest ensuring that they all get decent playing time out on loan (Simms starts at the club but should be loaned out). The other players listed should all turn out to be fairly good in the future as well. Baningime probably has the brightest future of the lot.
VERDICT: There's no real need to move anyone on unless it is a loan move to further their development. I definitely suggest promoting Baningime into the first team so that he can hopefully learn from Fabian Delph. Everton have a good number of prospects and I recommend going for youth for most of your required backup signings to add to this further.

Edited December 5, 2019 by RazorsEdge

[RazorsEdge]

Everton Football Club Tactical Analysis:-

The club recommends a 4-2-3-1 formation which I also suggest. Unlike with Watford I feel as though there really only needs to be two tactics used, although a third could be added with the AMC dropping back to either be a third MC or a DMC.

Tactic A (Primary):-

In this tactic I look to play a positive game with a lot of focus down the wings due to the club's strong wingers. I've placed Pickford in a sweeper keeper role as he's a natural. At the back I have Michael Keane as the ball playing defender who is going to take a few more risks, whilst Yerry Mina will play as a more conventional defender. On the left flank I have Lucas Digne set as an attacking wing-back as he is the strongest in attack out of him and Sidibé. As a result, Sidibé plays as a defensive wing-back on the right. Digne's attack on the left makes up for Bernard's more conservative role further up the field, while Sidibé's defensive role allows Richarlison the freedom to attack as much as he wants. Ahead of the defence Fabian Delph and André Gomes are paired together in the centre of midfield. Delph is set as a box-to-box midfielder so he can help in both attack and defence, while Gomes is set as a deep lying playmaker to be the "quarterback" of the team. Ahead of them is Gylfi Sigurðsson who is playing as an attacking midfielder. I chose this role as it is natural to Gylfi although I did consider deploying him as an Enganche. On the flanks Bernard/Iwobi will be the more conservative of the two wingers, looking to bring Lucas Digne into play. Richarlison is set to be as attacking as he wants to and both positions are set as inverted wingers. Richarlison has the ability to use either foot very well so shifted him to the right from his favoured spot on the left wing is no big deal. Moise Kean will be the starting striker and while his best role is as a pressing forward, I feel as though an advanced forward is better suited so he can both look for goals himself and create for others.

Tactic B (For facing stronger teams):-

Some slight adjustments to the previous tactic see this version try to retain possession of the ball. The instruction to overlap on the right has been taking off so Sidibé should remain fairly defensive, while Digne still has the freedom to roam forward and attack. Delph becomes a defensive ball winning midfielder and Gylfi's role switches from attacking to a more conservation support role. I would still go into most games using Tactic A but if the side is overwhelmed I would be looking to switch to Tactic B. As I said you could also drop the AMC role back to the MC or DMC spot if you want to be even more defensive.

In conlusion I feel as though these tactics will serve the Toffees well. They should allow for the creativity of Digne, Richarlison, Gylfi & Gomes to flow while still providing a solid structure to defend.

Coming up next (probably tomorrow) will be some transfer suggestions based on my play.

Edited December 6, 2019 by RazorsEdge

[RazorsEdge]

Everton Football Club Transfer Market:-

Transfers Out:-
Oumar Niasse to Al-Ittihad for £3.6M + £7.5K p/w paid by Everton in wages for 1 season
Maarten Stekelenburg to Al-Hilal for £925K
Cuco Martina on loan to Hull for £35.5K p/m
Theo Walcott to Newcastle for £16M + £36K p/w paid by Everton in wages for 2 seasons

Nobody would buy Cuco Martina so a loan move to Hull was sorted out. His contract expires at the end of the year and will leave on a free anyway, though his loan does include an option for Hull to buy for £1M if they choose. Oumar Niasse was sent to Al-Ittihad with some wages being paid for a year, a necessary sacrifice. Maarten Stekelenburg was allowed to leave to go to Al-Hilal for £925K. Finally Theo Walcott was sold to Newcastle for £16M with Everton paying £36K p/w of his wages for 2 years. Whilst I am unhappy to be being Walcott's wages it is better than the £110K p/w I was paying him. I decided that keeping Seamus Coleman and Morgan Schneiderlin were the better options, at least until the January transfer window in the case of Schneiderlin.

Transfers In:-
I started by looking for a backup DC to bolster my defensive ranks. Initially I considered Ukrainian free agent Eugene Khacheridi for his experience, but being wanted by many Arab clubs I knew his wage demands would be high. The same went for Thilo Kehrer of PSG who begins the game transfer listed, coming from PSG he is already on high wages and is unlikely to take a pay cut. I looked at Kevin Bonifazi from Torino before ultimately deciding to settle on taking a player on loan and that player was Lazio's 23 year-old Slovak defender Denis Vavro. Not far behind Yerry Mina in quality Vavro can also play on either flank or defensive midfield in an emergency.

Next I shifted focus to finding another goalkeeper after Stekelenburg's departure. I decided to limit my search to players with release clauses under £10M and was surprised to see Real Sporting's Christian Joel available for £2.9M - what was even better was that they didn't even want that much, accepting £2.5M. Joel looks like a prospect who develop into a strong backup/cup 'keeper.

Next I turned my attention to the midfield. I heavily scouted PSV utility players Pablo Rosario and Jorrit Henfrix, Marseille's Morgan Sanson, Lazio's Danolo Cataldi and PAOK's Dimitris Pelkas before settling on two signings. First I brought in the versatile 27 year-old Dane Rasmus Falk for £5M after scouting for low release clauses once again. Falk will be Gylfi's main backup but can also be deployed basically anywhere in the midfield. My final signing was one that came as a surprise to me - FC Red Bull Salzburg's 18 year-old future star Dominik Szoboszlai. Szoboszlai has already been capped 4 times by Hungary and looks to be a star in the making, and while he won't get a lot of immediate playing time he will play plenty in cup competitions to develop him. Being 18 I aim to keep him at Everton rather than loan him out so he becomes home grown.

The only other change I made to the squad was the previously mentioned promoting of Beni Baningime to the senior squad. He will be used in a very similar way to Szoboszlai.

Following these transfers I was left with £6.6M in the transfer budget and £143K p/w in the wage budget which should be enough to bring in some reinforcements in January/sign Sidibé permanently. Below is my final starting squad and bench for the season.

Further work will need to be done on improving the squad in the seasons to follow. A backup left-back will be required if Leighton Baines is allowed to leave the club and the futures of Morgan Schneiderlin, Cenk Tosun & Seamus Coleman are still up in the air. Everton have a fairly solid squad base to begin with and hopefully the players I chose to bring in will provide the quality depth required to achieve a top half finish and position the club well for future success.

Edited December 6, 2019 by RazorsEdge

[dothestrand]

It's a squad that needs a lot of work but given that they only ask for top half first season, that makes reshaping the squad easier. Keeping hold of Kean will be essential and Everton will always have a great youth setup. 

[RazorsEdge]

47 minutes ago, dothestrand said:

It's a squad that needs a lot of work but given that they only ask for top half first season, that makes reshaping the squad easier. Keeping hold of Kean will be essential and Everton will always have a great youth setup. 

Definitely agree with you there, though I would add that Richarlison and Iwobi are also players that the club must keep.

[RazorsEdge]

That concludes my guide to the Toffees. I hope some of these tips are able to help you in the future and look forward to seeing if you can usurp the Reds to be the best team in Liverpool. Good luck!

[stevemc]

Great thread @RazorsEdge 

 

I’ve been stewing over who to start my FM20 career with and I think I’m going to start with Everton. I’m around Toffee’s at work and feel for them and their lack of silverware despite now having quite an ambitious chairman, plus being a United fan instantly gives me motivation against Liverpool! 
 

Problem is, I like to float around in my FM saves usually, I’m not the most loyal, so I’ll start at Everton but there’s every chance I’d move on at some point. I managed Blackburn a couple of FMs ago, had back-to-back promotions and when we hit the Premier League I was handed just a £2m transfer kitty, so I left and joined Brighton who had just been relegated to the Championship but had a £20m budget.

Anyway, I’ll get this started this week. If it gets interesting I might open it up into my own career thread...

[wilcock54]

Started my first FM20 save with Everton. Although at first glance the squad looks thin on top, I felt there was decent cover in all positions playing a 4-1-2-2-1 wide with inverted wingers.

I have 3 games remaining and currently sit 3rd. The only signing I made was the young Hungarian from Salzburg called Szoboszlai who only makes cameo appearances for now.

Baningime was a consistent performer in DM role whilst waiting for the return of the injured Gbamin.

Gomes being talked about for POTY and he has been a standout along with Kean, Sigurdsson, Sidibe and Pickford.

Walcott, Tosun, Martina and Schneiderlin were sold in January as not good enough and on high wages. 

POA for next season is to sign Sidibe permanently, sign backup to Digne to replace outgoing Baines, move on Delph and buy some quality in CM (BBM), move on Bernard and bring in Olmo from Dinamo Zagreb.

[Jogo Bonito]

Whilst waiting for the FM21 BETA, I've decided to try and fit in a one-season effort with Everton.

I'm using a database file that sees them starting in 2019/20 with the 2020/21 squad. The obvious weaknesses to me are left-back (cover for Digne), one more central defender in order to have the option to play three at the back if required, and one striker (to rotate with Calvert-Lewin as Tosun should be sold).

I might try to find a central midfielder if I can get an Englishman of starting quality on the cheap, and possibly a winger who can cover either side (this will depend if Iwobi and/or Bernard are moved on).

[Ronaldo Beckham]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Whilst waiting for the FM21 BETA, I've decided to try and fit in a one-season effort with Everton.

I'm using a database file that sees them starting in 2019/20 with the 2020/21 squad. The obvious weaknesses to me are left-back (cover for Digne), one more central defender in order to have the option to play three at the back if required, and one striker (to rotate with Calvert-Lewin as Tosun should be sold).

I might try to find a central midfielder if I can get an Englishman of starting quality on the cheap, and possibly a winger who can cover either side (this will depend if Iwobi and/or Bernard are moved on).

Any decent prospects in the Everton youth teams Jogo?

[warlock]

13 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I've decided to try and fit in a one-season effort with Everton

Ooh... didn't see this coming 

13 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I might try to find a central midfielder if I can get an Englishman of starting quality on the cheap

Not sure how he'll be in an updated database, but Ben Pearson (Preston) is my usual option in that scenario. Ronaldo Viera maybe? But good luck 

[Jogo Bonito]

12 hours ago, warlock said:

Ooh... didn't see this coming 

Not sure how he'll be in an updated database, but Ben Pearson (Preston) is my usual option in that scenario. Ronaldo Viera maybe? But good luck 

Me neither!

Tried to get Liverpool-born Aaron Cresswell for DL and DCL cover but he wouldn't entertain talks. In the end it came down to two of these four, and I chose Liverpool-born Jack O'Connell and Emerson. I would have chosen Tarkowski over O'Connell but if I do go to three centre-backs, it's always nice to have a left-footer there.

I also signed James Ward-Prowse from Southampton for £24 million, and Alfredo Morelos from Rangers for £17 million.

I sold Cenk Tosun to Crystal Palace for £15 million, Yannick Bolasie to West Brom for £16.25 million and shipped Mo Besic on loan to Blackburn for full wages and £75k per month. I also returned on-loan Robin Olsen to Roma as I couldn't move Jonas Lossl on. No takers for Fabian Delph (which is OK, he just earns a lot for a back-up). Lack of interest in Bernard and Alex Iwobi prevented me signing Josh King for £21.5 million, so it's just the four signings.

Edited November 8, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[warlock]

3 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I also signed James Ward-Prowse from Southampton for £24 million

Good move, I think. I signed JWP in a few saves several years ago, but haven't been in a position to do so in recent FMs. He seems to be improving massively this season, so hopefully that'll be reflected in the database update this year. Looks like you're doing well re-shaping the squad 

[Jogo Bonito]

Well I got to about November and what I learned was

(a) Everton have a good squad for this current season. I was 2nd or 3rd, lost to Arsenal and had a couple of draws, otherwise it was all good

(b) JWP was great but I could easily have played Siggy, Gomes, Davies and even Delph instead of making the upgrade. Likewise with O'Connell, a very good signing but not actually needed

(c) In summary only a left-back and striker are needed in FM21 otherwise the squad is in great shape. Emerson and Morelos filled these roles superbly, in fact Morelos performed out of his skin and if I ever log in to FM20 again I will take a screen shot to show just how good he can be

(d) There are some very good ex-Everton men who can be brought on to the staff. I enjoyed it and may even consider them for the FM21 BETA

Edited November 11, 2020 by Jogo Bonito