Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Foreign players don’t know what’s hit them when they come here. The physical side’s like nothing else
RONALD KOEMAN has insisted there is no need for Everton to panic over his big-money summer signings.
The Toffees chief has asked for time to iron out his issues at Goodison Park, claiming that his new players will gel.
Koeman has spent the past fortnight pondering the burning questions – and has accepted the criticism that has come his way following a £150million-plus splurge in the transfer market.
He believes several of his players, most notably Davy Klaassen, are struggling to get to grips with the Premier League.
But he has pointed to Manchester United, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, as a prime example of a pedigree player who needed one season to adapt.
Koeman said: “Klaassen has not had an easy start. There is absolutely no doubt about his qualities. There are so many examples of players who were the best in their country, who were ready for a big transfer, and still found it tough here. “I know bigger stars than Klaassen who needed an entire season before they could deliver. The best example is Mkhitaryan, who was the top man at Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United spent a lot of money on him.
“I read and heard all the critics in his first season. It was unbelievable what he had to endure. However, in the beginning, he was struggling to survive.
“When you look at him now he is performing at the top level, and so important for Man United week after week.’’
The Dutchman believes it is very hard for foreign players to make an instant impact, and added: “Once top players from other European leagues arrive in the Premier League, they don’t know what hits them. The pace of the game, the aggression and physical side of the Premier League bears no comparison to any other league.
“And, for midfielders in particular, it takes time before they can cope.
“It’s the same for managers. You only understand when you have worked here for at least one season.’’
That may explain Klaassen’s lack of form, but Koeman has overlooked the fact that new arrivals Gylfi Sigurdsson, Wayne Rooney, Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane all have significant experience of the Premier League already.
Of his other arrivals, Sandro Ramirez has failed to score in 10 appearances. Nikola Vlasic has been marked down as one for the future after the Toffees bought him after a Europa League double-header against Hajduk Split. Henry Onyekuru has been shipped out to Anderlecht for the season.
In fairness to Koeman, Everton have played four of the five Champions League qualifiers during their opening seven league matches this season. But their record against those opponents must still be regarded as poor.
Apart from Rooney’s opener at Manchester City, they failed to score and lost three out of those four games.
Koeman added: “I’m not the kind of man to come up with all kinds of excuses. But it is obvious the difficult start has not made it any easier for new players to fit in.
“It is my job to get things going. I’m not going to change everything here because of poor results.
“I’m exactly the same manager as in my first season at Everton or as in my first years in England, at Southampton, when things were going well. But I accept people have the right to criticise.
“I will make sure I have a good understanding and connection with the squad and I will follow the road which I set out for Everton when I came here. Honestly, I am quite cool.”