Everton: Toffees wouldn’t have “wanted” to sell Simms
Everton have recently sold Ellis Simms to Coventry City as Sean Dyche looks to get his ducks in a row ahead of 2023/24.
Everton wouldn’t have ‘wanted’ to part ways with Ellis Simms this summer if they didn’t ‘need the money’ at Goodison Park, according to journalist Paul Brown.
Why did Everton sell Ellis Simms?
As per The Sun, Everton sold Simms to Coventry City for an initial fee of £3.5 million that could rise to £5 million with add-ons depending on appearances and goals, while that figure could move to £8 million in the event the Sky Blues achieve promotion to the Premier League.
On Coventry City’s official website, Simms spoke out about his move and how his new boss Mark Robins made it come about, stating: “The conversation I had with the manager. He showed great belief in me and the Club as a whole are on the way up and it seems like it will be a big season or us. He has done his research on me, and he likes the way I play, he thinks I will be a good addition to the team.
In his time at Everton, the 22-year-old amassed just 12 appearances at senior level, scoring once against Chelsea and also embarked on loan spells at Blackpool, Sunderland and Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian, as per Transfermarkt.
Everton need to recoup financial gain due to being in special measures with the Premier League authorities due to posting losses exceeding £370 million over the last three years, as per The Daily Mail.
Football Insider detail that the Toffees will operate a sell-to-buy policy at Goodison Park and will need to offload valuable assets in order to strengthen their squad.
Free agents and loan deals will likely supplement Dyche’s squad as Everton aim to ‘drastically cut costs’ over the coming months.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown has intimated that he thinks Everton would’ve liked to see Simms stay on at the club in an ‘ideal’ scenario.
Brown told FFC: “I’m a bit worried about what Everton’s squad will look like come the start of the season. I don’t think in an ideal world they would have wanted to sell Ellis Simms. You can argue all you like about whether the fee they got for him was enough. I think it really was between £6-8 million. In this market, considering that Everton really need the money, it’s probably not bad business for a guy that you’ve brought through, but I think ideally, Everton would not have wanted to sell Ellis Simms if they’d been a bit more financially secure, so it’s a little disappointing from that perspective that he’s had to go.”
Who could Everton look to bring in this summer?
Working on a smaller budget than in previous years, Everton boss Dyche may need to identify some bargain buys this window as he looks to ensure the Toffees avoid another relegation battle in 2023/24.
Experienced free agent Ashley Young looks primed to be his first signing since taking over at Goodison Park and will undergo a medical ‘with a view’ to joining the club following his release from Aston Villa, as per The Guardian.
BBC Sport report that Young had held talks with Luton Town and also had interest from Saudi Arabia before deciding to head to Merseyside.
Sport Italia via The Sun claim that Leeds United star Wilfried Gnonto is ‘very close’ to completing a move to Everton in a move that would cost around £19 million; nevertheless, we will see what transpires in the next few weeks amid the Toffees’ financial restrictions.
