Koeman decision to flog 16/17 mainstay looks disastrous, Everton midfield a shambles
COMMENT By Danny Wright
On paper, Everton looked to have had one of the best transfer windows in the Premier League over the summer, especially when they brought in the likes of Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen, Wayne Rooney and Gylfi Sigurdsson.
However Ronald Koeman has had a brutal reminder that his Toffees side are still nowhere near the strength of the top six after what has been a dismal start to the campaign which has led to questions being asked about his leadership and to the Sun reporting that an approach has been made for ex-Watford boss Walter Mazzarri to replace the Dutchman.
Great players were snapped up by the Evertonians in the summer with Romelu Lukaku heading out to Manchester United in a big-money move which no doubt financed Koeman’s mass splurge.
However one player’s exit that looks to have been a huge mistake is Gareth Barry’s, after he signed for West Brom in mid-August as Tony Pulis looked for a replacement for ex-Hawthorns captain Darren Fletcher.
Barry, 37, has been one of Albion’s best buys of the summer, and this is for a team that also signed Grzegorz Krychowiak on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and exciting youngster Oliver Burke from RB Leipzig.
Koeman’s decision to flog the Premier League veteran looks like a disastrous one, as the Everton midfield now looks weak and easy to bypass, offering very little support to a defence that is still ravaged by injuries.
Barry’s calming influence in front of the back four in the 2016/17 season saw him become a mainstay as he made 34 appearances across all competitions, scoring two goals in the process – one of which coming against the Baggies.
The ex-Aston Villa man has now transferred that approach over to West Brom and there’s no doubt Pulis’ men would be further down the table if it wasn’t for him after starring in the 1-0 win against Burnley in August as well as some of their recent stalemates which could have ended worse.
He even became the Premier League’s all time highest appearance record holder last month when he wore the captain’s armband against Arsenal in a controversial 2-0 loss at the Emirates.
Everton are really struggling without Barry, his absence is not as hard felt as Lukaku’s, but it is hard felt all the same.
Their midfield looks a shambles as Morgan Schneiderlin and Idrissa Gueye don’t look as good as they did when playing alongside the former England international.
It’s too late for Koeman to go back on his decision now, but what he must do is try to keep his job until January before snapping up a leader for his midfield – as well as that elusive striker, but that is another story.
In other Everton news, Roy Keane has taken a swipe at the Toffees over the management of this midfielder.
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