Everton have weathered some tough storms over the past several years, but Sean Dyche and his crew can be proud of their efforts in the Premier League last season, safely avoiding the threat of relegation despite being hit with an eight-point deduction.
There was an internal understanding that this summer would be less calamitous for the Toffees, selling Lewis Dobbin for pure profit and Ben Godfrey to balance the books. Such departures have alleviated the strain and made steps toward retaining the services of sought-after stars Jarrad Branthwaite and Amadou Onana.
Now, Everton are building toward an exciting new campaign, targeting the upper end of the top-flight table. Iliman Ndiaye and Tim Iroegbunam have already bolstered the ranks but more needs to be done to improve the attacking edge of the team.
Everton transfer news
According to Fabrizio Romano, Everton are right in the mix to sign Hull City winger Jaden Philogene this summer, with the 22-year-old claiming to have rejected Barcelona as he pursues the Premier League.
The Goodison Park side are battling Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town for the player's signature and given that he could be snapped up for just £16m, this is surely a deal that Everton must push feverishly to complete.
What Jaden Philogene would bring to Everton
Philogene joined Hull one year ago, signing in a £5m deal from Aston Villa after completing successive loan spells away from Villa Park and looking unlikely to wedge his way into Unai Emery's talent-packed team.
It has proved to be an excellent decision for the Hammersmith-born player, who has relished his role as one of the Championship's most promising stars, scoring 12 goals and supplying six assists as the Tigers narrowly missed out on the play-offs.
Not just a marksman, Philogene has a wide range of tools to inflict damage upon his opponents, with his electric pace and deft dribbling ability allowing him to caper up the pitch and find pockets of space to strike on goal, set up teammates and draw defenders away.
Crisply completing 83% of his passes, Philogene also created seven big chances and missed just six of his own, with that lattermost statistic making a glowing comment on the wide man's prolificness.
Let's put that in perspective, actually. Last term, in the Premier League, Everton frontman Dominic Calvert-Lewin bagged seven goals – including four from his final seven games. However, he missed 16 big chances, hardly producing the kind of sharpshooting ability to lift the Blues to the next level.
Moreover, the 5 foot 8 Hull talent placed 1.6 key passes, won 2.4 tackles and 7.6 duels and averaged 4.2 ball recoveries and 2.7 dribbles per game. He's creative, cunning and combative. A real trickster, with his boss last season, Liam Rosenior, gushing over his skills.
The recently-disposed Hull manager said: "Ridiculous, it's ridiculous, his ability is something we have missed for a long time. He is only going to get better the more games he plays.
"It is not just his goal or the showreel moments, it is his energy levels for the team, he has a real belief, he can be a top player but the reason he can be a top player is because he works so hard on his game."
The England U21 international could even shape into a winger from the mould of one Bukayo Saka, offering qualities that would make him a stylistically similar presence for Everton as his countryman is for imperious Arsenal.
How Philogene compares to Bukayo Saka
Saka is quite the player, tenacious, talented and technically proficient. He also has nerves of steel, as showcased by his recent talismanic performance for the Three Lions in their Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland, crucially restoring parity with a terrific driven effort before dispatching his penalty with confidence in the shootout.
Last term, for the Gunners, the right winger scored 20 goals and added 14 assists as Mikel Arteta's side cemented their status as one of Europe's elite outfits, blending pace, power and precision to flourish.
He ranks among the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 15% for assists, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 21% for progressive carries, the top 3% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 10% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.
Philogene, while performing at a lower level last year, showcased similar skills, ranking among the top 12% of positional peers in the Championship last term for goal contributions, the top 8% for progressive carries, the top 7% for successful take-ons, the top 9% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 4% for tackles per 90.
Goals
0.38
0.49
Assists
0.19
0.28
Shot-creating actions
4.04
5.80
Progressive carries
4.88
4.78
Successful take-ons
2.79
1.51
Ball recoveries
4.30
4.78
Tackles
2.50
2.03
The table above shows a collation of Philogene and Saka's metrics in respective leagues for the 2022/23 campaign, and while the Hull player was indeed performing lower down the English ladder, it's clear to see that he is cut from a similar cloth.
Everton were solid last season, industrious and cohesive, but there was something lacking in the offensive department. Dyche should take great pride in his efforts last term, engineering a degree of safety against the odds, but now the time is right to make adjustments, tinker away and bring the club up a notch.
Philogene has the trappings of a high-level Premier League winger, and he really could become Merseyside's own version of Saka by being placed in a prominent role at Goodison.
Everton have already hit gold on a star who's now worth more than Gnonto
He’s been exceptional since his move to Goodison Park.
ByEthan Lamb
