Everton head into the 2018/19 Premier League season with plenty of question marks hanging over them.
New manager Marco Silva has been tasked with improving on last season’s eighth place finish, but with just one victory during pre-season it is clear that the former Watford boss has a lot of work to do.
A flurry of activity on transfer deadline day saw the likes of Yerry Mina and Bernard sign for the club, although it remains to be seen how quickly they will settle at Goodison Park.
Silva had already raided his former club to sign Richarlison, but a £40 million fee for a forward who went missing during the second part of last season looks expensive.
Everton scored just 44 goals in the Premier League last season, with Wayne Rooney (11) the only player to break double figures, and there will be plenty of pressure on striker Cenk Tosun to produce the goods this term.
The club’s fans were eager to see the back of Sam Allardyce at the end of last season, but whether Silva is the man to move Everton in an upward direction is open to debate.
Key player – Gylfi Sigurdsson
Sigurdsson failed to shine during his first season at Everton and he heads into the new campaign with a lot to prove.
The midfielder was a disappointment during a previous spell with Tottenham Hotspur and there is a suspicion that is he isn’t suited to playing for so-called ‘bigger clubs’.
Everton will be expecting a return on their investment in Sigurdsson and he could be the key to whether the club enjoys a successful season.
Prediction
Everton fans made it clear that they were unhappy with Allardyce’s style of play, but they could have set themselves up for a fall with Silva.
The Toffees still look short of quality strikers and it will be a surprise to see them finish any higher than eighth once again.
Title odds: 250/1
First fixture: Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)
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