5 free agents 777 Partners should sign at Everton | OneFootball

Highlights

Everton have endured a mixed start to the Premier League campaign, with Sean Dyche's side looking as if they will spend the majority of the 2023/24 season embroiled in a relegation scrap.

In what might be the club's final season at Goodison Park, the Everton faithful will be desperate to see their beloved side retain a spot in the Premier League. What's more, with a controversial takeover from 777 Partners looking like it will be ratified, it's imperative Everton remain in the top flight, or else they could suffer from serious financial problems.

Of course, the Toffees were active in the summer transfer window, with Dyche given a war chest of around £34 million to spend on fresh talent. Sanctioning a mix of permanent and loan deals, the likes of Arnaut Danjuma, Beto and Ashley Young were all brought to the club in the off-season.

However, with money still tight at the club, Everton could find value for money in the free-agent market. A number of useful players remain without a club after the start of the new season and GIVEMESPORT have picked out five who might boost Everton's fortunes.

Andre Ayew

A Premier League-proven player, Andre Ayew may be in his mid-thirties right now, but that doesn't mean to say he is past his best. The Ghana international was most recently part of the Nottingham Forest side who avoided the drop last season, with Ayew having joined the club just after the 2023 January transfer window.

The former West Ham United and Swansea City star boasts over 100 appearances in England's top flight, while also having featured close to 200 times in the French first division. Capable of playing anywhere across the front line, Ayew comes with bags of experience which could help Everton in their latest fight against relegation.

While he's unlikely to come and displace any of the Merseyside outfit's first-team regulars, having a player like Ayew within the ranks may help Dyche balance his side, while also providing Everton with an extra body within the squad when it's time for the starting 11 to be rotated later in the season.

Yann M'Vila

Another former Premier League star, fans of English football will most likely remember Yann M'Vila from a season-long loan spell with Sunderland back in 2015/16. The midfield anchorman featured in all but one of the Black Cats' 38 Premier League matches that season, before returning to parent club Rubin Kazan at the end of the campaign.

M'Vila boasts a CV with spells at some of Europe's top clubs, including Inter Milan, Saint-Etienne and most recently Olympiacos. However, having spent three years with the Greek side, M'Vila was let go by Olympiacos in the summer following the expiration of his contract. And yet to find a new club since departing the Athens outfit, M'Vila could provide Everton with a short-term option in the heart of midfield.

Everton's premier holding midfielder, Idrissa Gueye has featured heavily for the Goodison Park side this season, but with the former Paris Saint-Germain star also in his mid-30s, he might not be able to play week in and week out. Adding M'Vila to their ranks might lighten the load on a sometimes stretched Everton midfield.

Tanguy Coulibaly

Released at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, Tanguy Coulibaly's exit from Bundesliga side Stuttgart came as somewhat of a surprise. A product of the Paris Saint-Germain academy, Coulibaly made 14 league appearances for Stuttgart last season, with the winger going on to find the net on four occasions.

At just 22 years old, Coulibaly still has plenty of time to go on and develop into a top player, with his profile suited to Dyche's Everton system. According to football statistics database FBref, Coulibaly averaged over three shots each game last season, indicating he would be a live wire in the Toffees attack.

Coulibaly wouldn't only represent an addition for the present, but given time to develop, he could go on to be considered a stellar free agent signing.

Almamy Toure

Defence has often been a problem position for Everton at times under Dyche's reign, but the former Burnley boss could add quality to the ranks by signing free agent Almamy Toure. Most recently of Eintracht Frankfurt, the defender was let go at the end of his contract last season and hasn't yet been picked up by another club.

Toure's crowning moment in an Eintracht shirt came during the 2021/22 campaign, when the Mali international featured heavily for the Bundesliga side on their way to lifting the Europa League title. The now 27-year-old played the full 120 minutes of the final against Rangers, but was unable to replicate his performances the following campaign, in what was a season blighted by injury.

The defender played just seven times in the league for Eintracht last term, but that doesn't mean he should be written off entirely. Capable of playing at either centre-back or right back, Toure could provide adequate cover for Everton's starters, should the former Frankfurt man be able to keep himself fit.

Xeka

Finally then, Xeka. Somewhat of a journeyman across the French league, Xeka has played for the likes of Lille, Dijon and Stade Rennes during his time as a professional, but the soon-to-be 29-year-old currently finds himself without a club to play for.

A winner of Ligue 1 itself during his five-year stint with Lille, Xeka had departed Les Dogues at the end of his contract in the summer of 2022, before moving to Rennes as part of a two-year contract. However, after picking up a nasty ankle injury just after the turn of the year, Xeka was ruled out for the rest of the campaign and eventually saw his deal with Rennes ripped up.

It's left the midfielder once again searching for a new club, with a number of sides in England having been linked. As per reports, Everton are among various Premier League outfits eyeing up a free-agent move for Xeka, as Dyche looks to sure up his options in the central midfield positions.