NEW ERA – Exciting Times for Everton

Following a takeover in January and a subsequent stadium move – and now a club record signing – Gethin Thurlow looks ahead to what promises to be the most exciting season in Everton’s history.

Manager: Having been in charge for two seasons now, Brian Sorensen has proven a very successful hire for Everton. Last year in particular he had a strong year and led Everton to eighth place. This included a really impressive second half of the season where they were difficult to beat.

Sorenson has always been a good tactical boss, willing to adapt to whatever game is in front of him rather than trying to assert a certain style across all games like some managers in the bottom half have been tempted to do.

New Signings: Martina Fernandez, Rion Ishikawa, Hikaru Kitagawa, Maz Pacheco, Katie Robinson, Ornella Vignola, Yuka Momiki, Ruby Mace

Outlook: The new era for Everton kicked off slightly in January, and the new owners put their stamp on the club with a number of good moves that helped push Everton up the table in the second half of the season. Now, they look ready to continue this growth, in new surroundings. After the men’s team moved to a new stadium it was announced that Goodison Park would become the permanent home of the women’s team, which is an excellent development for the team.

Martina Fernandez was one of those impact players from January, who joins permanently after being on loan last year, while they also snapped up familiar names in the WSL – Katie Robinson on loan and Maz Pacheco for free. They also brought in Japanese defensive duo Ishikawa and Kitagawa who will boost their options in that half of the pitch, alongside former Leicester striker Momiki, with Honoka Hayashi (below, left) already a star in midfield.

Their marquee signing of the summer was paying a club record transfer fee for Leicester midfielder, Ruby Mace. Having learned under one of the best, Yui Hasegawa, Mace played a similar – controlling the team – role for Leicester and in her very limited time at England. This could be a crucial final piece in the jigsaw for Everton that allows them to push on to an even higher level than they reached in the back end of last season.

On the pitch, Everton will probably employ the same style of play as usual – whatever they feel is best suited against their opponents, with a focus on staying compact at the back and giving limited goals away, especially against top teams.

Plus they always have the likes of Gago and Payne up top as potent goal threats. If they are able to keep tight at the back – hopefully led by captain Megan Finnigan (above, centre) once she returns from her ACL injury, with the always reliable Ireland keeper Courtney Brosnan (above, right) – and press forward on the break, then they will always have a chance in games entering the final moments and there is some great potential results awaiting them if they can pull this off.  

Will Finish: 5th