Kevin Thelwell’s remit as Director of Football is pretty clear – in the short term, keep Everton competitive in the Premier League; for the longer term, reduce the club’s wage bill and average squad age while improving the talent and depth. The signings that have come through the door so far during this summer transfer window has reflected that mix of players. James Tarkowski and Conor Coady address the glaring weakness of the defensive corps, while Dwight McNeil, Amadou Onana and Ruben Vinagre are all exciting young players that Frank Lampard can build around in years ahead.

While the Blues still need to do more in terms of bringing in attacking help for the oft-injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the rarely-effective Salomon Rondon, they have certainly gone a long way towards addressing the need for more skill and talent in the middle of the park today. As multiple media sources are now confirming the news broken earlier by Football Insider, Everton are close to signing the exciting 22-year-old attacking midfielder Mohamed Kudus from Ajax Amsterdam on loan, with an option for an outright purchase at the end of the season. Continue Reading