After a number of seasons of splashing out the cash. Everton have been noticeably cautious so far this window.
It’s possible this will change, but will depend on getting some players out of the door and their massive salaries off the books.
To be honest, the Blues don’t have too many salable assets they would like to get rid. No matter what anybody says Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn’t leaving, Richarlison won’t leave this season, either.
Moise Kean could fetch a decent price, but he’s not going to be allowed to leave on a loan.
A list of the deadwood at Everton includes Cenk Tosun, Fabien Delph, Andre Gomes and a suspended midfielder who can’t be named, but if you think you can figure it out.
According to the Athletic
Rafa Benitez, the Everton manager, has mentioned financial restrictions when asked about transfer moves.
It’s annoying to the Everton fanbase that “Big Six” teams like Arsenal and Spurs are buying players.
It should be noted that Benitez said restrictions, not troubles.
Everton’s chief shareholder Farhad Moshiri has deep pockets, really deep pockets. He is also business partners with Alisher Usmanov, who has even deeper pockets.
It’s not lack of money preventing Everton from bringing more players in.
It’s regulations known as Financial Fair Play which is supposed to stop teams with wealthy owners outspending their rivals. The Blues braintrust is concerned with falling afoul of the Premier League’s version, which is known as Profit and sustainability rules.
There is a joke -”How does a billionaire become a millionaire - buy a football club.”
And that’s what these rules are also designed to stop.
However, Moshiri, who doesn’t sit on the Everton board despite owning more than 90 percent of the shares, believes he should have the opportunity.
Moshiri came out strongly against the European Super League and would have liked to see stronger penalties than the fines which were handed out.
It’s also Moshiri’s willingness to spend money which has got Everton in this mess.
In 2017, Everton bought Gylfi Sigurdsson, Danny Klaasen and Waye Rooney.
Bringing Rooney back to Everton smacked of Bill Kenwright, but in the end Rooney led Everton in scoring that season.
A look at Everton’s accounts, which are available on the Club’s official website
Everton would be in trouble, according to the current EPL rules, which allow clubs to lose a maximum of £105 million over the past three seasons.
During the time period, Everton has lost £13.1 million, £111.8 million and £139 million, way beyond the rule.
But, because of the pandemic, the League decided it couldn’t look at the numbers without taking in the effect of the Coronavirus.
According to the 2020 accounts, Everton lost £67 million directly as a result of the pandemic.
However, there are add-backs to be taken into account. Add-backs are expenses that are added to the profits of a business (usually before deductions such as interest and taxes.)
The club has invested heavily in youth development, women’s football and the community. Costs related to building the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock could be added in as well.
But that isn’t now, now Everton find themselves in a bit of a pickle after years of spending, many would argue overspending on players who haven’t provided value for money and who are on incredible salaries.
For example, James Rodriguez is on a reported £200,000 a week.
And the increase in wages are a big part of the problem, Everton’s wage to turnover ratio is 85 percent. Wage to turnover ratio is a measure of how well employees (players) are performing financially. The lower the number the better.
Financial research company Vysable tweeted that Everton have £286 million pounds in losses during the past two seasons, which is the worst in the league.
Moshiri has expressed his dislike of the system calling it “unfair play” in a radio interview.
Dr. Dan Plumley, a football finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, told the Athletic
Moshiri might have a point.
“Manchester City got in at the right time,” he says. “That was the luck of the draw — there were no regulations. Clubs started spending beyond their means and the response was to regulate.
“The problem is that you get owners (like Moshiri) saying, ‘If I’ve got money to spend on my business, why can’t I spend it?’, And it’s a valid point in some ways. It’s almost the ultimate counterargument to regulation. But loads of people would argue it’s not right to go back to the days of the ‘wild west’ approach too.”
Whatever goes on in the boardroom privately, Everton are visibly trying to make the best of a bad situation of their own making.
That’s why getting big wages like Fabian Delph, Rodriguez and others off the books is so important.
Even a relatively smaller sale like Jonjoe Kenny could help Everton buy a more expensive player based on a staggered payment schedule.
Manchester United have used such a method in making their two big transfers this season in Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, total cost around £150 million.
The transfer window hasn’t closed yet and it’s possible Kean could be sold for £30 million or more. It looks likely Rodriguez will be allowed to leave, but Everton are waiting on a suitable bid, probably in the range of £10-£15 million.
Depending on when and if these and other moves involving other Everton players take place, the Club could bring in one or two new players in this window.
However, for now Everton must be circumspect in their spending. Blues’ supporters shouldn’t fret too much. By the end of this season, Everton should be able to get rid of a number of the bloated wage earners and spend a little bit more of Moshiri’s money.