Marcel Brands pushing Everton in the right direction

Everton’s appointment of highly-rated Dutch director of football Marcel Brands last summer is looking like a shrewder move by the day. He built a reputation as a shrewd operator in the transfer market at PSV. Brands has continued to pull off good deals on Merseyside.

Last summer he negotiated deals for the likes of Bernard, Richarlison, Andre Gomes, Lucas Digne and Kurt Zouma. The majority of the signings proved successful and the face of the Everton squad is far healthier than last summers mess.

Delph is a good example of Brands dealing

Although Everton have focused on buying talented young players this summer, the signing of England international Fabian Delph from Manchester City for just £9million looks a shrewd one. It was definitely not the sort of deal Toffees fans were hoping for, with a new striker and right-back needed. However, Delph will add experience, versatility and leadership skills to a young squad.

At 29, he is far from finished and could prove to be a bargain. Reportedly both Brands and boss Marco Silva believed that the former Aston Villa star would add something to the Everton squad.

Selling Lookman could be good business

Sky Sports are reporting that the Toffees have agreed to sell youngster Ademola Lookman for £22.5m to RB Leipzig. The 21-year-old is supposedly full of promise and talent. However, he has only shown flashes of his ability.

From the outside, the sale of the youngster seems like a strange one. The thing is though, the Toffees will double their money for a player who basically sulked through the whole of last season. He made just three league starts last season and 18 substitute appearances, looking uninterested in most games.

The winger has failed to impress four Everton bosses, with speculation on Merseyside suggesting he has a poor attitude. Those are unconfirmed reports, but four different bosses not picking him suggests that something is not right. The coaching staff get to see what fans do not and something is wrong.

Maybe he will go on and become a talented player and maybe he was just not in the right environment. He thrived in the Bundesliga in a half-season loan spell the season before last. Brands is a shrewd operator and it would be majorly surprising if the Toffees did not have a sell-on clause in any prospective deal with Leipzig, just in case he does go on to actually fulfil his potential.

Everton far from finished this summer

It looks very unlikely that Everton are finished in the transfer market this summer. The Merseysider’s are aiming for a top-six finish next season, something they are odds of 7/2 to achieve.

However, Silva’s team needs improvement to get closer to a top-six finish in the new campaign. The Merseysider’s finished last season in strong form, but there are obvious weaknesses in the team and squad.

Brands has impressed so far in the way he has signed and sold players so far. Time is running out before the summer transfer window closing. The majority of Evertonian’s have faith in the Dutchman’s ability in the transfer market.

Due to FFP, Everton cannot just splash the cash like Chelsea or Manchester City did to gain an advantage in the Premier League. That means they have to be shrewd in the transfer market and Brands seems just the man to move the club forward in the right direction.

I get the feeling that Toffees will likely make at least two more additions to their squad for their tilt at the top-six. Judging by Brands track record they will be excellent value for money. The Dutchman may just have a key part to play in waking the sleeping giant that is Everton.

Can Everton sign enough quality players to finish in top six next season?