David Moyes is desperate to avoid creating a squad reliant on injury-threatened players but may have to compromise in order to find quality. The Blues boss walked into an injury nightmare on his return, inheriting long-term issues for Armando Broja, Dwight McNeil, James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam.
Within a month he then lost Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Orel Mangala and Iliman Ndiaye to lengthy setbacks. With 15 players currently on expiring deals, Moyes has the opportunity to overhaul his playing squad ahead of the move to the new stadium for next season.
But he is increasingly having to weigh up the extent to which he can gamble on the fitness records of players who are already at Finch Farm, and those he may be able to bring in.
Moyes’ struggle against injury misfortune has been typical of the fate endured by those in the Blues dugout. Predecessors Sean Dyche and Frank Lampard each had their plans stunted by fitness problems.
When combined with the financial constraints the club has operated under in recent years, the severity of each setback has been multiplied.
The dilemma facing Moyes is most evident upfront. Dominic Calvert-Lewin did not sign the fresh terms offered to him last summer and is on a deal set to end this summer. He has been out since he suffered a hamstring injury at Brighton and Hove Albion in January – the latest long-term injury in a career blighted by bad luck over recent years.
Fresh talks between the player and club are expected but both parties’ position will be complicated by him having been out for months. In an interview with the BBC this week, Calvert-Lewin suggested he was open to extending his stay should those talks work out. The ECHO understands no new deal has been put to him yet and Moyes stressed the need for the player to prove his fitness in the final weeks of the season.
Well aware of the importance of getting this summer of transition right, Moyes, in general, does not want to place his faith in players he is unsure will be able to survive the rigours of an intense season.
But he also knows he needs to have quality within his squad. There is a sense that Calvert-Lewin possesses talent that will come at a premium price in a crowded transfer market, but tapping into it is only possible if his body will allow him.
The most effective solution would be to bring in someone with a solid track record and Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, as previously reported by the ECHO, is a target. But there is an acceptance that other clubs may be in a stronger position to tempt him away from Portman Road.
Elsewhere, other options come with risk. Everton have been linked to exploring a return for Richarlison, while Moyes used several games last month to take another look at Broja. Both have troubling injury histories though.
Such decisions are relevant throughout the squad. Moyes had hoped to build his new side around the axis of Jordan Pickford, James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite. The hamstring injury suffered by ever-present Tarkowski last month, therefore, has come as a severe setback. The 32-year-old requires surgery and his recovery could run into pre-season, undermining preparations for the new campaign.
Considering his game is reliant on his durability and strength, there will be fears over any lasting impact of a rare injury for Everton’s defensive talisman.
Meanwhile, several other decisions will be influenced by fitness matters. While the likes of Ashley Young and Idrissa Gueye have provided excellent examples to their teammates of how to maintain their athleticism through to their late 30s, there is also an acknowledgement age can only be defied for so long.
David Moyes already knows what Everton must avoid after Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison links
