Coleman calls for spending spree if Blues make Europa League
Zouma Bernard
SEAMUS COLEMAN claims Farhad Moshiri could be forced to bankroll another summer spending spree if Everton make it into Europe. most dominant display of the season and are suddenly on a roll after their win over Chelsea.
They now sit just a point behind Wolves in seventh, which could be good enough for a spot in the Europa League next season.
Everton already face spending up to £50m just to convert loan buys Andre Gomes and Zouma into permanent signings.
But Coleman, a veteran of several European campaigns, reckons Marco Silva’s squad could still need strengthening.
He said: “If we did get into Europe, I think that would change the plans for the manager and the owner. You might need a few more players because it is quite demanding.
“It would be massive. At the start of the season we knew breaking into the top six would be difficult, but we wanted to get that seventh place.
“Everton should be in Europe every season. We’ve finally got the financial backing that maybe we’ve been missing for quite a period of time.
“That’s where this club needs to be. It’s the owner and the manager’s decision, but it would be great to hold on to the players we’ve got on loan.
“They’ve been great and their performances at certain points have been brilliant. If we were able to keep them that would be fantastic.” France defender Zouma, who opened the scoring, has enjoyed a resurgence since his loan move from Chelsea.
But it was Barcelona misfit Gomes who shone brightest, making more passes and covering more distance than anyone as he ran the show in midfield alongside Idrissa Gueye.
Silva said: “Let’s see what we can do. It’s a very good opportunity for us. We have a player, even if it’s a loan player, with high quality. Let’s see after if we can have Andre permanently in our club.”
Silva also claimed the future looks bright for Everton after his new-look young forward line of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Bernard tore the terrible Hammers apart.
He said: “In our front line we had one who was 21 [Richarlison], another is 22 [CalvertLewin]. Bernard is 25. Our team is a young team, with a lot of things to keep improving.”