Everton have been in dire straits for most of the 2021/22 season but are shaping up to move on from Rafa Benitez, who was sacked from the dugout earlier in the month.
They appointed former Chelsea midfielder and manager, Frank Lampard, on Sunday and on Monday – the deadline day of the January transfer window – gave the new manager two new midfielders to begin his journey.
Here is the latest on Everton’s two new signings.
Dele Alli leaves Tottenham for Everton on permanent transfer
Embattled former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli has finally left the North London side after six years as he hopes to revive his stalled career under Frank Lampard.
Alli joined Tottenham from MK Dons in 2015 at 19 and went straight into the first team. He performed excellently and was destined for stardom. A year later, he was playing for the England national team at Euro 2016. He was also was a key player for the national team in the run up to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
Since after the World Cup, however, his career has nosedived and he has lost his place on both squads. Under the last three managers at Spurs, Alli only managed 15 starts in total and under current Spurs boss Antonio Conte, it became clear that the midfielder’s time at Spurs was up.
Alli was linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle but new Toffees manager Lampard stepped in and demanded that his new club sign the midfielder as he believes he can help revive the career of the midfielder who once drew comparisons to him.
It was a no-brainer for Everton to sign Alli as the club is lacking in adequate quality in the middle of the park. Allan and Andre Gomes were Everton’s only fit midfielders at the time which made the deal for Alli a necessity outside Lampard’s personal request for the 25-year-old.
Alli moves to Goodison Park for an undisclosed transfer fee.
Donny Van De Beek offered new lease of life with move to Everton
After being on the fringes of the Manchester United squad since his move to Old Trafford from Ajax Amsterdam in the 2020/21 season, Donny Van De Beek could be getting his career back on track after joining Everton on loan for the rest of the season.
The Dutch midfielder, once considered one of the world’s best young midfielders and a big prospect for the future of the role in the game, saw his career stall since choosing to move to United from all the options he had in the summer of 2020.
He has since lost his place in the Netherlands national team and has not been able to play at the standard he used to before his move to England.
He now believes he has started his recovery process in signing for Everton, claiming a chat with new manager Frank Lampard gave him clarity on what he needed to do.
“I had a really positive meeting with the new coach,” Van De Beek said to Everton after signing for the club. “We have the same ideas about football and he had a lot of influence on my decision.
“I played against him when I was at Ajax, and he was at Chelsea [as manager], so he knows me as a player. He thinks I have qualities that can help the team. I can learn a lot from him because he was a little bit in the same position – a midfield player who scored a lot of goals.
“He can help me a lot, so I think I’m in a good spot. I want to improve with Everton. There are always things that can be better and I work hard every day to do that.
“I want to show my qualities, my strengths, to the people in England – but especially the fans from Everton.”
Crystal Palace and Valencia were in talks to sign Van de Beek during the January transfer window, but Lampard stepped in just as he did with Alli and the 24-year-old opted for a switch to Goodison Park instead.
Palace in fact had already begun negotiations with United after Dennis Bergkamp – the father of Van de Beek’s partner – triggered talks. Valencia inquired about the midfielder but were unsure about his wages.
Everton will cover the midfielder’s full wages but do not have the option to make his loan move permanent.
