da bet7k： Having only arrived at the club in June, Ronald Koeman is still building his Everton side into the team he wants it to be.
da betcris： Their Premier League form hasn’t been terrible but some frustrating results for Toffees fans have shown there’s plenty of work to do if Koeman is going to take the club to the next level.
If they can string a few wins together, as they did in the early weeks of the season, they’ll surely move up the table and make a European place a real possibility.
January offers the Dutchman a chance to put his stamp on the team further and we’d expect him to have a decent budget available to buy players. That will likely require him to move some on to free up wages and first-team squad places, though.
What are his priorities? And who should he ship out?
Here’s our look at the THREE in and THREE out Koeman should be considering this January…
IN: Stefan de Vrij
Everton have real troubles at the back right now, and have been, for much of the season, unable to find a consistent centre-back partnership that can reliably keep clean sheets.
In Stefan de Vrij, Everton would be getting a player that Ronald Koeman knows very well, as the Netherlands international was a regular starter for Koeman back when he was Feyenoord boss.
The 30-cap Oranje defender has had a tough couple of years with knee injuries but has returned to feature for Lazio ten times this season already. He’s ready for first-team football again and a reunion with Koeman could be just what he needs to kick-start a career that could reach the pinnacle of club football.
OUT: Arouna Kone
Arouna Kone has had a tough time with injuries for Everton but his career at Goodison Park is going nowhere fast and the club should really be looking to move him on and free up wage resources.
With just ten goals in 58 appearances, Kone hasn’t made the impact anyone was hoping for when he signed from Wigan in 2013.
A move is the best thing for all parties and at the age of 33, it’s likely he’ll be making a step down from Premier League football.
IN: Memphis Depay
Key injuries in wide positions have left Everton struggling for creativity in the final third and a move for Memphis Depay would not only provide a solution to that problem but also show ambition.
Everton are looking to make a step to the next level and regularly qualify for European competition and Depay is no doubt a player who can help take them there, despite not quite hitting his stride at Man United.
His 49 goals in 124 appearances for PSV before his move to Old Trafford is a track record that shows he has the ability to make an impact.
OUT: Aaron Lennon
Despite Everton’s worries in the wide areas, if they can bring quality into that area, one player they should be looking to move on is Aaron Lennon.
The winger has only started three Premier League games this season and seems to only find a place when injuries or suspensions are at crisis point.
Again, like Kone, there are important wage resources to be gained from his departure which could be re-invested into the squad.
IN: Moussa Dembele
Moussa Dembele is one of Europe’s hottest strikers right now and with him coming from Scottish football he could represent excellent value for Everton.
You only need to look at the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama to see that top talent in the Scottish top flight can make the transition to Premier League football.
The striker has scored 17 goals this season and Celtic’s determination to keep their star could be tested with a decent wedge of money in January.
OUT: Tom Cleverley
Tom Cleverley is another first-team squad member on decent wages who isn’t getting any game time. It isn’t doing either party any good and sending him out on loan or even a permanent transfer in January would make sense.
The former Man United man has never really settled at Everton and under Koeman has fallen well out of favour, starting only four Premier League games this season. At 27, he still has plenty to offer other top flight sides.
Is his time at Goodison Park up?