Everton have perfect tools to deal with changing transfer strategy

Part one of our latest Michael Ball column discusses Everton's changing transfer strategy

Everton have perfect tools to deal with changing transfer strategy

The fact that our transfer strategy has had to change because of the current scenario is a little bit disappointing in a way, but completely the right decision.

We've got a manager here now who hoped to start putting things right on the recruitment side of things, somewhere we've failed a few times over the last few years.

His first big window was coming up and, as a fan, you're expecting to see some big signings coming in. Because of the current landscape, we know now it's going to be a difficult situation.

In my last few columns I've spoken about Everton focusing on trying to offload a lot of players to get money in so that, if someone does become available, we might be able to make a move. It's not just Everton, I think a lot of clubs will be doing the same thing.

But the safest way is going to be loans, and hopefully these players will still have the quality we need to get us pushing up the league for when the new campaign gets underway.

We still want to add to what we've already got, but I think the focus obviously is getting rid of the dead wood as they say. It's difficult.

Every club will be in the same boat, not many will be paying the huge transfer fees we've seen in the past. So it's going to be a battlefield.

Hopefully, with Carlo Ancelotti on our side, he'll be able to attract the players and give them what they want. Players want game time, and if they're not getting that at their clubs it's about finding the balance. Are they good enough to improve what we've already got?

It's a headache and it is disappointing, but it's also obvious it was going to go down that route. Hopefully they will have had targets lined up that will be all agreed and done.

They might surprise us, but in the long run it will be safe that until everything settles down with the Premier League and TV money, it would be daft to go and splash the cash and potentially put ourselves in a mess.

We've got to be using the strengths of both Marcel Brands and Carlo Ancelotti to attract these players to our club, via loans or anything else.

The draw of Ancelotti almost reminds me of myself, when I was looking for a club after the Rangers financial mess.

I didn't know what was going to happen with my future, and then out of the blue I had a phone call from Guus Hiddink. That type of thing changes players minds.

Agents can talk and the media can talk, but when a manager actually gets on the phone and expresses how important you're going to be to the team moving forward, players love that.

Marcel and Carlo need to be working as a team to attract the best players to the club to keep on improving us. With Carlo on our side, we've got a good 'Top Trumps' hand, let's put it that way!

New kit deal is great news

It's great news that Everton have announced the new kit deal with hummel, especially hearing that it was a club-record deal.

We've always said Everton needs to grow as a brand and the marketing side of the club need to start attracting the money to help us compete with the big boys.

With financial fair play looming over us of course we need to bring as much money into the club as possible, so announcing a new record partnership is great.

That will certainly help us in the future. There's been a lot of positive things from inside the club while the pandemic has been going on.

We had an arrangement with Sportpesa which was also cut short early, so it's clear the club are looking far into the future to see how they can bring more money in.

It's great that hummel showed hunger to make Everton their number one. We've had the big brands in the past, but we obviously haven't been their top choice.

Now hummel have earmarked Everton, they've seen where we are going as a club and a brand and they want to be a part of it.

That connection with Alan Ball and the white boots is great as well. The timing of football is a strange thing but it's worked out perfectly.

As a player, you don't really care who makes the kit! It doesn't make you a better player.

But on the commercial side of things, it's a big thumbs up once again.