The Premier League's profitability and sustainability (PSR) stumbling block towered over Goodison Park like an insurmountable wall before successful circumvention appears to have placed Everton in a position to strengthen in the summer transfer market.
PSR has been the kernel of the summer spending chatter but at least five other top-flight clubs join Everton in scrambling to stay within the £105m net-loss threshold (over a rolling three-year period).
Deducted eight points for breaching FFP rules last season, Everton are desperate to avoid such a mishap again while still aiding Sean Dyche in building a competitive team. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, aged 27 and out of contract next year, looks likely to be among those deemed expendable, with Newcastle United closing on a deal for the striker, with a fee still being negotiated.
2023/24
32
26
7
2
2022/23
17
15
2
1
2021/22
17
15
5
2
2020/21
33
32
16
1
2019/20
36
30
13
1
2018/19
35
19
6
2
2017/18
32
18
4
5
2016/17
11
5
1
0
Yankuba Minteh's possible arrival in the opposite direction has caused a storm among the blue Merseysiders, though Everton would still need to sign a centre-forward.
Everton lining up Calvert-Lewin replacement
As per Fabrizio Romano – via Caught Offside – Armando Broja is expected to leave Chelsea this summer, with Everton among three favourites to sign him.
Albania's Euro 2024 star has also attracted interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bundesliga side Stuttgart, though Romano added extra emphasis on the Toffees' stance when discussing the 22-year-old's availability, saying that "for sure would like to sign him".
Journalist Ben Jacobs has also mooted a ballpark price of £20m, which would likely be less than the Calvert-Lewin outlay and could see the stars align at Goodison Park.
Imagine Armando Broja & Yankuba Minteh
Broja has endured a tough time over the past few years, returning to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2022 after a promising loan spell at Southampton in the Premier League, only for ACL woes to befall him.
An imposing figure at 6 foot 3, Broja is technically sound and forward-footed, ranking among the top 1% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
Described as an "animal" of a forward by The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell, Broja has the perfect type of skill set to succeed Calvert-Lewin and complement the rest of the Goodison Park attack.
He might not have found his finest form at Fulham during his recent six-month loan at Craven Cottage, failing to start and failing to score, but he's got a wealth of skills that would make him a dynamic addition to Dyche's frontline, perhaps even forming a wonderful partnership with Minteh.
Newcastle signed Minteh from Danish side Odense Boldklub in July 2023 for about £6m and loaned him out to Arne Slot's Feyenoord for the 2023/24 campaign, notching 11 goals and six assists and winning the KVNB Cup.
Goals scored
0.62
Top 3%
Assists
0.31
Top 13%
Shots taken
0.31
Top 7%
Shot-creating actions
5.81
Top 3%
Progressive carries
7.85
Top 2%
Successful take-ons
3.65
Top 2%
Touches in the attacking box
9.89
Top 1%
Tackles made
2.84
Top 4%
Fleet-footed and "unpredictable for defenders", so Odense's chief executive Steffen Nielsen put it, Minteh has the full package, with the table above highlighting the kind of multi-talented style that Everton would be adding to their fold.
With such devastating attacking talents, capable of striking on goal with fearsome accuracy, creating with constancy and getting stuck in with tenacious defensive application, Minteh would be a dream alongside Broja, whose crisp passing and own ball-progressing expertise would make for a tricky duo indeed.
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