Sean Dyche provides Everton transfer update on Demarai Gray and two other players
The Everton players have been linked with Fulham, Southampton and Sheffield United.
Sean Dyche has insisted that Demarai Gray, Mason Holgate and Andre Gomes ‘are still part’ of Everton’s plans as things stand.
The trio have all been linked with departures from Goodison Park this summer. Gray has reportedly agreed terms with Fulham and the Toffees are waiting for a replacement before he’s allowed to leave. The winger returned to pre-season duty later than most of his team-mates having been on international duty and Dyche claimed a lack of fitness was why he did not feature in last week’s 1-0 friendly win over Sporting Lisbon.
Holgate is coveted by Southampton and Sheffield United, having made just nine appearances last season. The centre-back has not featured in a senior game this summer but did play twice for the under-21s. He missed the trip to Switzerland with an injury.
Gomes spent last term on loan at Lille. The midfielder has one year remaining on his current contract and is behind Idrissa Gana Gueye, Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure, James Garner and Alex Iwobi in the pecking order.
But Dyche gave no hints away as to whether any of the triumvirate will leave Everton. Speaking at his pre-match press conference before Saturday’s Premier League opener against Fulham, he said: “The players that are here are still here – that’s the truth of it.
“The ones I keep reading about are him, Mason, Andre Gomes, people like that. They are still here, they are still absolutely part of the club. If that changes, you’ll be the last to know!”
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Sulemana only joined the south coast club in the January transfer window, when Southampton shelled-out £22 million for the 21-year-old. The attacker had previously been playing regularly in Ligue 1 with Rennes.
The Ghanaian struggled to shine once he arrived the Premier League, albeit in a Southampton side who were below par everywhere on the pitch. Sulemana was able to score 2 goals in his 18 league appearances, but couldn’t help Southampton steer clear of the drop.
Sulemana has a point to prove in the Premier League
Sulemana certainly still has plenty to prove at Premier League level, and signing him on loan initially represents a relatively risk-free course of action for Everton. The youngster certainly has the potential to thrive in the top flight, and Sean Dyche will back himself to get the best out of the player.
Whilst this move seems like a safe gamble in one sense for the Toffees, it also doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence in the club’s progress towards building a squad that can comfortably stave off any relegation threat.
Everton only just escaped relegation last time out, and wouldn’t be wise to pin too many of their hopes on Sulemana. The Goodison Park faithful would likely prefer to see a more established and proven talent being brought into the club to compete for a place in Dyche’s starting XI.
Sulemana will arrive with it all to prove at Everton. However, if he exceeds all expectations and has an excellent season then Everton will at least be perfectly placed to snap him up on a permanent basis without any trouble.
