Everton Fan View: Are we still selling to buy?

It’s been a very busy transfer window for Everton so far with the club doing a lot of business with both incomings and outgoings. Whether it has been a successful window or not remains to be seen, as there is still a long way to go.

Going into this summer there was a wonder as to exactly how much money Everton would have to spend. When the transfers were rolling in, it seemed as though Everton had finally found the pot of treasure we’d been looking for. While it’s clear things have changed, the money available is still clearly a very finite about. Whilst Everton have spent nearly £90m in this window, we have received more through the door with the sales of Lukaku, Deulofeu and Cleverley.

How much money is there left to spend? Well that’s a big question and one that we may find out the answer to before the window shuts. There has been talk of a big money move for Gylfi Siggurdsson, but will that be counteracted by the sale of Ross Barkley for similar money? It still looks as though Everton are, at least in part, having to sell to buy with the early transfer business done in anticipation of the sale of Lukaku.

Since Farhad Moshiri’s investment in Everton, the club have sold around £150m worth of players and spent marginally more. We knew that the investment would not be close to the Man City or Chelsea levels, but exactly how much will be pumped into player acquisition is still unknown.

Isn’t all about net spend

As said though, things have changed and net spend on transfers isn’t always the greatest measure of that. A lot of money was spent in getting rid of the old regime, getting rid of debt, bringing in a new management team and getting the plans in place for the new stadium. Added to that, the wage costs have dramatically increased so a lot more money is being spent.

In terms of buying players however, it’s still unclear exactly how much there is to spend. As an Everton fan however, it’s hard to complain. The squad is getting stronger and our reputation is increasing. We’re in Europe, attracting better players and are quite clearly moving in the right direction. It’s a new world for a generation of Everton fans who have lived through the club hardly spending a penny.

Hopefully there is money left in the pot, but either way everything is still entirely positive at the club. Moshiri has come in and changed everything. The club feels different. There has not been a sense of ambition for so long, there is now.