The Friedkin Group plan full ‘evaluation’ of Everton squad; decisions on Calvert-Lewin, Keane to be made

Fraser Gillan 31 Oct 2024 3:21 PM

Everton's squad could look very different next season

Everton are set to be taken over by The Friedkin Group by the end of the year and they are planning an ‘evaluation of the entire club’ when they move in, per TEAMtalk sources.

TFG, who also own Italian giants AS Roma, plan to conduct a full scale review of the operational running of the Toffees, similar to what Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group have done at Manchester United.

One major point Everton‘s soon-to-be new owners will be looking at is the squad – which players will remain and who will leave next summer.

There are a number of first team stars with contracts set to expire at the end of the season and TFG will have to decide whether to give them new deals or allow them to leave on free transfers.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Michael Keane, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Joao Virginia, Ashley Young, Seamus Coleman and Asmir Begovic are all coming to the end of their deals.

They will be eligible to open pre-contract talks with foreign clubs in January, ahead of potential free transfers next summer.

Meanwhile, Jack Harrison, Jesper Lindstrom, Orel Mangala and Armando Broja are all at Everton on loan and replacements will have to be brought in if they’re not signed permanently.

Calvert-Lewin is on TFG’s agenda – sources

As we have previously reported, Calvert-Lewin is one player Everton are working hard to tie down to a new deal. They have already made him a lucrative contract offer but as yet, it remains unsigned.

Sources have consistently told TEAMtalk that Calvert-Lewin isn’t actively looking to leave the Toffees and maintains a positive relationship with the club, but as time goes on the speculation surrounding his future will only increase.

The 27-year-old will have opportunities elsewhere. Newcastle are keeping close tabs on his situation, along with several other Premier League sides and some around Europe.

Calvert-Lewin has scored just two Premier League goals so far this season and has missed the second-most big chances of any player in the division, behind only Ollie Watkins.

Theo Walcott and Alan Shearer have both urged Everton to keep hold of Calvert-Lewin despite his poor form and these are the choices that must be made by TFG in the coming months.

TEAMtalk sources say that TFG remain undecided on many of the players who will be out of contract next summer so we could see the Everton squad look very different next season.

One factor to also consider is the fact some players are reluctant to sign a new deal until they know Everton will remain in the Premier League, as they don’t want to be on long-term contracts in the second-tier.

Everton got off to a poor start this season but are now undefeated in their last five games and sit in 16th place in the table – five points outside the relegation zone.

IN FOCUS: TFG’s highs and lows at Roma

Written by Samuel Bannister

HIGHS

The appointment of Jose Mourinho as Roma’s head coach in 2021 drew plenty of global attention to the club, both in terms of media coverage and also the kinds of player they could appeal to even without Champions League football being on offer. Thanks to his previous success in Italy – and the struggles Roma were going through at the time – the hiring of Mourinho generated a buzz in Rome, and even though he wasn’t unanimously popular, the majority of local fans still hold him dearly.

Roma developed a reputation for picking up high-profile free agents or loan players while dealing with Financial Fair Play scrutiny, for example drawing huge crowds for the presentations of Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku in showcase events organised by the club.

Roma won the first ever Europa Conference League trophy in 2022 under the Friedkin ownership, which was their first honour of any kind in 14 years, first UEFA trophy ever, and prompted frenzied celebrations in the Italian capital.

Dan Friedkin has overseen a significant reduction in Roma’s debts and expenses, stabilising the club financially.

Roma’s attendances have shown strong signs of improvement under the Friedkins – at least until recently. Even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Roma’s attendances were rarely sell-outs, but there have since been more than 50 sell-out crowds under the Friedkins’ jurisdiction at Stadio Olimpico (however, this hard work is on the verge of being undone due to current fan frustration at the owners, which we will cover shortly).

And on a similar note, Roma have made progress on their new stadium project with the aim of breaking ground in late 2025/early 2026 (but that is a lengthy process that the club have been trying to facilitate since long before the Friedkins’ reign, with various setbacks, so their supporters aren’t counting any chickens before they hatch).

LOWS

The decision to bring back club legend Daniele De Rossi as Mourinho’s replacement divided opinion, but initially worked well. However, the Friedkins were too quick to announce De Rossi would be rewarded with the permanent job partway through his interim spell before a downturn in fortunes and chaos ensued when they backtracked and sacked him four games into the new season, despite only one of those games being a defeat, and replaced him with Ivan Juric, a respectable Serie A coach who had nevertheless never managed a club of their size before. Reports have suggested Roma’s board rejected more established coaches like Thomas Tuchel and Edin Terzic in favour of Juric.

Critics have long since argued that Roma have been lacking an adequate footballing structure at board level, with a clear absence of authoritative personnel with inside knowledge of the sport at board level. Too much power has, at times, been assigned to individuals, rather than a network of decision makers.

Although hampered by Financial Fair Play restrictions, the Friedkins’ spending (or lack thereof) for the team led to a banner being shown from the fanbase once, which described Dan Friedkin – perhaps a touch unfairly – as a “low-cost president”.

And once Roma unshackled themselves and spent heavily in the summer of 2024, they did so heavily and with plenty of conflicts of interest. The club took too long to appoint a technical director (Florent Ghisolfi), negatively impacting their planning, and even after they did, it was alleged that CEO Lina Souloukou (who stepped down in the aftermath of De Rossi’s sacking, having been blamed as a key instigator of it) was the one calling the shots. Critics argue that Roma failed to address their main areas of concern on the pitch despite spending more than €100m on new players.

Historically, the Friedkins have been criticised for remaining too quiet when Roma have been up against perceived injustices and having a lack of clear spokespeople for when times are tough. Communication has been a significant issue within their tenure.

Recently, Roma’s ultras in the Curva Sud have been boycotting the first 15 minutes of home matches in protest against the Friedkins and displaying banners demonstrating how they are “disgusted” by the running of the club. Statements have accused the Friedkins of failing to live up to promises, disrespecting club icons, as well as “general disorganisation, superficial merchandising, choice of inadequate people to represent Roma under all points of view, considering their non-knowledge of the city reality, of Roma’s history and the traditional values of Roma fans.”

DON’T MISS: Dele Alli, Navas, Choupo-Moting and the best former Premier League players that are currently free agents

Everton Dominic Calvert-Lewin