The Premier League finally starts again and Marcel Brands has bad plans like director of football of Everton. The policy maker has bought a whole new midfield, with only big names: James Rodríguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucouré. For an amount of almost eighty million euros, he gave coach Carlo Ancelotti exactly what he asked for, but the question is whether it is now enough after two unsuccessful seasons to play the role of the main challenger to the top 4.

By Thijs Verhaar

The Toffees had that ambition last season but then had to acknowledge their leader in Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers among others. Everton even finished in a very disappointing twelfth place, which was the last final rankings since 2004. Only one of the last six matches has been won and Ancelotti rightly indicated that something had to be done. The seasoned coach just lost 1-3 on the already coached Bournemouth on the last day and asked for more experience and individual class in midfield. He had to wait a long time for that, because only last Saturday could Brands welcome his first acquisition to Allan. Within four days, however, James Rodriguez and Doucouré followed, so that they could be used in the away game against Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday.

With all their experience, the midfielders will probably not need much adjustment time, and coach Ancelotti is already aware of their abilities. Doucouré has made a big impression at Watford over the past four years, while the coach has worked with Allan at Napoli and James at Real Madrid. The Colombian says he had his best years of his career under the Italian elected lord and probably did not sign with another club that does not play European football. “He was very important in my choice to sign here,” James confirmed during his presentation. The 29-year-old racing footballer wants to start from scratch after years of stagnation at Real and test himself in the Premier League. Ancelotti expects to be able to make a difference immediately and calls him a bargain with his transfer fee of 25 million euros. “Everyone knows he is an excellent player who can give countless help to the attackers.”

Carlo Ancelotti’s face was regularly in a thunderstorm last season, but with his three new midfielders he has new hopes for a good follow-up from Goodison Park.

James should therefore act as the most advanced midfielder, behind the attackers Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison. They received almost no stock last season, but with the arrival of the Colombian it should be a thing of the past, while Allan and Doucouré will protect the remaining defense and give an extra dose of herb to the diaphragm. Ancelotti struggled in front and behind the scenes to include exactly those three. He calls Allan, for example, one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. His new French midfielder Doucouré has also proved an excellent lock at the door in more than 150 Premier League matches, while also being of great value to his former employer Watford from an offensive point of view.

However, the club relegated last summer and finally made the Frenchman affordable for Everton, who had him on the waiting list for years. Ancelotti often played 4-4-2 at his youngest clubs and missed a lot of creativity and a good boxing-to-do midfielder at Everton. Doucouré has perhaps the best pack in the entire Premier League, can put excellent pressure and created no less than 38 opportunities for a teammate last season. Allan, in turn, is primarily defensive and is a very good ball winner, making the team less vulnerable to scorers. James needs no further explanation with his past and becomes the number ‘ten’ in the new Everton, which has also invested heavily in the past few years with the millions owner Farhad Moshiri. Never before have players of this format been brought in.

James Rodríguez first made fourteen official appearances for Real Madrid last season, where he ended up on a dead end under coach Zinedine Zidane.

Previously, the toffees do it with players like Cuco Martina, Yannick Bolasie, Morgan Schneiderlin, Sandro Ramirez, Cenk Tosun, Fabian Delph and Mo Besic. However, it seems that not everyone is at the right level, while Jean-Philippe Gbamin, who was lured for almost thirty million euros last year, was extremely prone to injuries. The attackers Moise Kean, Alex Iwobi and André Gomes, who were also welcomed last summer, have not yet or barely shown that they are worth their generous transfer money, so it will be very interesting to see if they can get into their game now. during the battle in midfield can be won thanks to the new trio.

At the back, it looks like Everton are in a pretty good position with a defense of four men made up of Séamus Coleman, Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate and Lucas Digne in the expected starting line-up. Yet Ancelotti wants to be strengthened because he believes he has too few central defenders. English media are speculating about a lease deal with Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori, although it is also not illogical to add a more experienced player to the defense. However, it could also be that the very talented Jarrad Branthwaite will definitely gain confidence. The eighteen-year-old giant seized his chance at the end of last season, while self-taught Anthony Gordon can hope for a breakthrough in midfield. Nineteen-year-old goal scorer Ellis Simms, in turn, dreams of a place in the busy vanguard, having repeatedly passed at the youth level over the past few years.

Up front, Ancelotti also have the necessary options, although it must be said that Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott and Bernard could not dispel the doubt of the coach last season on the flanks. However, it does not look like there will be investment in a new wing, so it is worth considering for the coach to place Rodriguez as the shadow striker behind Calvert-Lewin. With a 4-4-1-1 formation, Richarlison can then return to his beloved right, but if we look at the rest of the material on offer, 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 can be a more logical choice. In all cases, the Brazilian can also wing and in that role he made a big impression, especially in his early days at Everton.

Richarlison became a Brazilian international at Everton and has so far scored 31 goals and 10 shots in 109 Premier League games.

On the other hand, Iwobi, Bernard and Walcott have to fight with their three on the left. They have not yet been able to distinguish themselves at Goodison Park, but with James they are now finding an excellent conductor who can lead them. The Colombian, led by Ancelotti, has excelled at Real Madrid for years with his fine passions and now has one of the fastest and most agile vanguards in the Premier League, while Allan and Doucouré can relieve him of his defensive duties. The three give Ancelotti different options to change the formation, and if the coach prefers to play with four midfielders, there also seems to be a starting point for Tom Davies. The Englishman is the strongest player of all available options and can play better than, for example, Gylfi Sigurdsson in the service of the team.

Finally, we can not deny Everton a much better midfield, new hope for the attack and a reasonable defense, but is that enough to fulfill his sky-high ambitions? The club wants to be the main challenger among the top four and finish at least in the top six, but that’s easier said than done. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford looked very insecure last season, the defense is relatively inexperienced after Coleman, who is on his last legs, and it is questionable whether striker Calvert-Lewin can maintain his good form. The fact is, however, that coach Ancelotti, with all his experience, can be considered perfect for finding a winning formula and keeping morale good. With so much extra quality, he now finally has the means to confirm his status as a top coach. Brands need to do one last trick this summer with a new central defender and then it’s the players’ choice.