Sean Dyche tells the 'truth' about next season as Everton boss braces for challenge

Sean Dyche believes next season will be another in which the challenge for Everton will be to “safeguard” its Premier League status.

The Blues boss anticipates a difficult summer as the club attempts to plot for another top flight campaign while dealing with significant off-the-pitch uncertainty. Dyche said it is “very likely” some of his players will be sold.

His words echoed those of director of football Kevin Thelwell in the programme notes for the final home game of this season.

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A goal from Abdoulaye Doucoure helped Everton to a 1-0 win in the last outing at Goodison Park of this season. The win, against already relegated Sheffield United, meant the club ended another challenging year with five consecutive home victories. Dyche’s side has accumulated 40 points even with a further eight having been deducted and he was clear that both the squad and the supporters deserved to enjoy the lap of honour after the final whistle - the first since 2019.

This was also the first time in three seasons that Everton did not need to win their last home game to stay in the Premier League and, in his post-match press conference, Dyche made clear that this did not mean the difficult times were over for a club that has endured a tough few years. An unresolved ownership saga will continue into a summer in which Everton will look to sell players to help with both league spending rules and the club’s wider financial stability.

Asked whether the recent impressive form “set the bar” for next year, Dyche said: “The bar for next season is making sure we safeguard this club in the Premier League. It hasn't really changed. There will be more challenges coming. I've tried to be honest with you, telling the fans the truth.

"It will not be fixed overnight. It is going to be a building process and it takes time. I think there is growth, from when I got in to where it is now. There has been development in the side and the players and the mentality for sure. But there is a long way to go to get it back to where Everton think they are.

"The perception is often bigger than the truth of the story, so I'm trying to find the gap between the two and bring it together so fans go 'OK, we kind of get where we are at'. I'm trying to do that but there are more challenges to come, I don't just mean financial, I mean balancing out the club, balancing out the playing side of things, balancing out the wage structure. There are more challenges to come.”