Deadline Day bliss

As another session of summer expenditure comes to a close, EvertonDaily.com weighs up the arrivals with the departures to assess where the squad is positioned ahead of the new season.  

After another healthy fifth-placed finish, manager David Moyes was always going to find it difficult to ward off potential suitors and maintain the team harmony that has become synonymous with Goodison Park. 

Yet with only weeks to go Moyes had managed to halt the prospect of a player exodus and allow only fringe players Lars Jacobsen, Nuno Valente and the ever disappointing Andy Van der Meyde to leave. 

Danish born Jacobsen had made a meagre five appearances in 08/09 for the Toffees and therefore was no loss for the blues, whilst former Portuguese international Nuno Valente was released and chose to retire from football all together. 

The turbulent time of Dutch winger Andy van der Meyde finally came to an end after his contract expired in the summer. The Dutchman will most likely be remembered as David Moyes’ biggest mistake, having played only 20 times in his four unsuccessful years at the club. 

And with the retention of Manchester City’s Jo, who thrived in his loan spell at the club scoring 5 crucial goals along the way, the closing market spelt business as usual for the blue half of Merseyside.  

However on the eve of the season, the Citizens, backed by an Abu Dhabi group that is amongst the wealthiest conglomerates in the world, came circling and whether intentionally or not, disrupted the harmony at Goodison. But I would argue the effect has worn off and both Moyes and Chairman Bill Kenwright have used all their guise and experience to recruit expertly. 

In Johnny Heitinga, I believe the club have acquired a more than able replacement for the departed Lescott. He brings with him a wealth of international and European experience, with the taste of scoring goals and a versatility across the backline to fill the Englishman’s void. 

Although the former Atletico Madrid man is cup-tied, the 25-year-old has penned a five-year deal and will provide the club with the necessary experience to move forward in Europe in the coming years. The Dutchman who has played alongside Steven Pienaar at Ajax is excited about the challenge ahead. 

“It’s a nice club and a club with a big history. I saw a lot of Everton games last season and they have a strong team,” he said. 

“I spoke with the manager earlier and the feelings were good.”

And these sentiments are equally felt by gaffer David Moyes who believes he has invested £6-8m in a genuine world-class player.

“He is here to give me cover at centre-half and at right-back,” Moyes is quoted by the official website of FIFA.

“Until Phil Jagielka returns from injury we need another player who can fill in at centre-back, and I also felt we needed some more competition at right-back.

“Johnny is comfortable in both those roles and he has also some knowledge of playing a central defensive midfield role,” concluded the Merseyside outfit’s manager.

However it is in Sylvain Distin’s £5m capture where I believe Moyes has articulated his true genius. The former Portsmouth player brings with him a wealth of Premier League experience playing over 300 games for four different top-flight sides and has already appeared to have slot into the side seamlessly.

Match winner Leighton Baines reiterated this point following the 2-1 win over Wigan.

“When you’re playing with someone like Sylvain, you know there isn’t going to be any problems with him settling in,” the left-back told BBC Radio Merseyside.

Whilst in 6 ft 1 midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov Moyes has once again proven his knack of searching through Europe’s less prominent leagues to discover hidden gems. The 24-year-old Russian International has been capped 28 times and brings both a directness and leadership mentality that will surely benefit the Toffees. 

This fact is not lost on ‘Billy’, as he affectionately implored the faithful to call him, who realises the greatness of the club and the significance of his move.

“It is a dream to play for a big club like Everton and I know that the Premier League is the best league in the world,” said Bilyaletdinov.

“I know Everton has big players and a big history, and I know the club is 131 years old and has good traditions. 

“I know about Everton’s players and I know Jo from when he played in the Russian league. 

“I also know that Andrei Kanchelskis played for Everton. Andrei is a hero for all people in Russia so I am very happy to know that he has played for a club like Everton.” 

And now with the addition of these exciting prospects and the consolidation of an already formidable squad foundation, Everton’s force lies arguably in their strength in depth. 

Boasting almost the desired two International quality players for every position and a flurry of talented goal scoring midfielders at their disposal, the Merseysider’s will surely challenge on many fronts this season. 

With the group stage of the Europa League around the corner the crucial task at hand is for Moyes to make sure the side blends immediately; and if that happens, then there will be no limitations to how far the squad can go.

By Joshua Kepreotis