#2 Everton
Most observers now talk about the Premier League’s ‘big six’ – meaning the two Manchester clubs, plus Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool – and leave Everton outside of that bubble. And while it’s true that they finished in seventh – eight points behind Man United in sixth – could this be the season that they really rise to the top?
Possibly. Like Arsenal, they don’t have the Champions League to distract them from the league, which means less games and fresher players. And after the past years saw them keep a tight belt financially, this time the board seem to be willing to match boss Ronald Koeman’s ambitions. Already, they’ve spent £30m on goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and almost £24m on attacking midfielder Davy Klaassen.
Granted, they may yet lose their current stars Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley, but the hope is that Klaassen will replace Barkley like-for-like, and if Lukaku does go, it’ll be for a huge fee that should allow them to purchase a worthy replacement.
Then there’s the fact that the Toffees already have a talented young squad. Tom Davies broke through last season and the summer has seen defenders Mason Holgate and Jonjoe Kenny, midfielder Keiran Dowell, winger Ademola Lookman and striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin star for England’s successful U20 and U21 sides. These are players who will be chomping at the bit to get a real chance in the Premier League.
With a talented young squad and a manager willing to spend money to develop, Everton define the term “dark horse” in 2017/18.
