Everton need to wrap up deals early, so to avoid another debacle

Football FanCast guest columnist
Mike Booth feels that Everton need to wrap up their transfer dealings early, so to
avoid a repeat of last summer's carry on.

David Moyes has been the unsung hero of the Premier League in the past seven
years. He has transformed an aging Everton team in fear of relegation every
season into a team consistently knocking on the door of the 'Big Four'. However,
although Moyes has worked these miracles, he will not be able to do so for much
longer with Everton's current financial predicament.

Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and of course, Manchester City have all had a
much larger budget than Everton in recent years, but Moyes' shrewd business
with the likes of Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta and Phil Jagielka has made Everton
the Premier Leagues' biggest overachievers. This cannot continue much longer.
Everton seem able to break their transfer record every summer with James
Beattie, Andrew Johnson, Yakubu and Maroune Fellaini all being bought in the
past 4 years. However, one player is not going to help break that 'Big Four',
four or five will. Everton need massive financial backing. But would Everton
fans trust a man from the Middle East with their beloved football club? As an
Everton fan I certainly would not. This club needs an ex player fronted
consortium to take it forward to the Champions League and beyond. A man who
could relate to the fans and understand the correct way to run the club.

Back to reality for a moment. An ex player fronted consortium seems unlikely
for now, so Everton must think about this summers' transfer dealings that are
to be done. I have faith in Moyes' ability to take players on the cheap from
lower league clubs and turn them into consistent Premier League performers. I'm
talking about players like Chris Eagles of Burnley, Joe Ledley of Cardiff,
Fabian Delph of Leeds and Kyle Naughton of Sheffield United. Not only are these
players young, they are British based and the ideal players to continue Everton's
philosophy of running a club on a shoestring. These type of deals need to be
done as soon as possible, otherwise a repeat of last years' start to the season
is imminent, where Everton failed to win a home game until November.

Everton's motto is 'Nil Satis Nisi Optimum', Latin for 'Nothing But The Best Is
Good Enough'. I don't think that Everton fans can expect the best, but they
would certainly settle for an able squad that would break into that 'Big Four'
and bring home a trophy, any trophy, one that has been sought after by the fans
for fourteen long years.