KOEMAN SET TO APPEAR AT FORMER CLUB

Ronald Koeman is set to appear at his former club when Everton make the trip to St Mary Stadium this weekend to face Southampton in the Premier League.

The Dutchman surprised many with his shock move from Southampton, who finished sixth last term, to Everton – a side that was struggling and finished outside of the top ten last year.

This term, under Koeman, Everton are five points ahead of Southampton after staring the season well. When Koeman left, he cited the prospects at Everton as the motivation. During the summer, he could not get as much new talents as he would want but he got Yannick Bolasie from Crystal Palace. Bolasie’s deal is twice the record signing at Southampton for Sofiane Boufal courtesy of the club’s new owner Farhad Moshiri.

One of the reasons that Koeman would likely have considered would be increased financial power at Goodison Park. Efforts to sign other players like Lucas Perez – who eventually joined Arsenal – and Moussa Sissoko – who snubbed Everton for Tottenham Hotspur – were not fruitful. However, there is hope that more players of decent quality would join in January.

Players like Wayne Rooney and Memphis Depay would be targeted – transfer dreams that would have been overboard for Southampton. The financial muscle of top clubs lured players like Victor Wanyama, Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and others. Though John Stones left this term but it was mutually rewarding considering the transfer fee.

There is still a lot of rebuilding for Everton to reach enviable heights but with an efficient manager in Koeman, there is hope. There are still arguments that Koeman should have remained with The Saints and develop them before moving to a top club, compared to Everton that is a mid-table Premier League side. Koeman does not hide his dream of managing his former club Barcelona but he would have a much more difficult task at Everton.