Why losing Stones can see Everton push for a top 4 finish

Everton started off their 2016/17 campaign with an honorable 1-1 draw against Tottenham in what was a two faced match. Koeman experimented with a 3-4-2-1 against another former Southampton manager (Pochettino) and it started off emphatically with Deulofeu impressing with his creativity in spit of playing as a lone striker with the Belgium Lukaku on the bench. 1-1 was a fair result however Everton will be hoping to go one better when they face Spurs away, especially given the acquisitions since:

Ideally Koeman's side will line up in a couple of games time like so:

A Bench including the likes of:

Steklenburg

Funes Mori

Jagielka

Besic 

Cleverly 

Barry 

Mirallas 

Lennon 

Niasse 

Kone

New additions/ Potential signings

Joe Hart: The out of favour Manchester City keeper had been linked with a £40 million move away to Everton earlier this summer however that deal never went ahead. Nonetheless Everton are still interested in the Englishman and a loan move is potentially on the cards. Whilst Hart is often error prone he is still a step up on Steklenburg.

Ashley Williams: The Swansea man signed for a fee of £12 million in spite of the fact he's a Liverpool fan at heart! Williams should be a superior choice to Jakielka or Mori, especially after a respectable Euros campaign.

Laumine Kone: The Sunderland man is rumored to join the Merseyside Blues for about £18 million, the Ivorian's desire to move is unsurprising given the Black Cats' mediocre squad and overall lack of ambition. Whether Kone would start is unclear however at 27 years of age he's a key asset to the squad. If the transfer goes ahead Koeman would have bought Williams, Kone and Bolasie for about £55 million whilst selling a certain Stones for almost £50 million. 3 for 1 - it's like a Tesco bargain!

Idrissa Gueye: The prospect of signing an Aston Villa man may have frightened the majority of Blues fans however alongside Jordan Ayew, Idrissa Gueye was one of few impressive players. The Central Midfielder was just behind Chelsea (then Leicester's) Kante in terms of tackles, an area which Everton were lacking in last season. For £5 million Gueye is a solid buy.

Bolasie scored 5 goals last season

Yannick Bolasie: The most skillful player in the Premier League, if not the world, left Crystal Palace for a fee between £25 - £30 million. The price tag for a winger who registered just 14 goals in over 130 appearnces in a Palace shirt epitmosises modern day football! That said Bolasie offers invention and creativity with every illustrious turn and dazzling step over which will provide the base for the monster that's Lukaku up top.



Overall Prediction: 

• I can't see Everton struggling for goals, Barkley, Lukaku, Bolasie and Deulofeu are all form players who will go patches of brilliance and periods where they struggle to find the net - fortunately for Koeman Mirallas and Kone are more than suitable replacements!

•  I think defensively Everton will be sound thanks to Williams and (Kone) however questions remain over whether Coleman and Baines can replicate their offensive qualities at the back. 

• Where Everton may struggle is the centre of the pitch where they are rather lightweight - they are lacking a Pogba, a Kante, a Fabregas, someone who controls the game perfectly. As a result I can only see Everton slumping short of the top 4.