‘A horrible day’ – Dyche admits that if club will sell any stars this summer after avoiding relegation then…

Despite avoiding relegation from the Premier League, Sean Dyche has indicated that Everton might need to part ways with some of their valuable assets during the upcoming summer transfer window, writes the LiverpoolWorld.

The Toffees managed to secure their top-flight status with a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth at Goodison Park on the final day of the 2022-23 season. This marks the second consecutive season in which Everton narrowly avoided the drop, having secured survival on the penultimate day of the 2021-22 campaign.

Furthermore, Everton finds themselves in a precarious financial position, having accumulated combined losses exceeding £400 million over the past four years. In the previous summer, the club sold Richarlison to Tottenham Hotspur for a potential fee of £60 million, and Anthony Gordon joined Newcastle United in January for a sum that could reach £45 million.

Among the current squad, Jordan Pickford and Amadou Onana are the players who would likely attract the most attention from potential suitors. Speaking at the post-match press conference following the triumph over Bournemouth, Dyche emphasized that his primary objective since joining in January had been to ensure Everton’s safety. However, he did not dismiss the possibility of the club parting ways with some of their star players during the upcoming transfer window.

He said: “There is a chance. I’ll find out more about that. There have been peripheral talks, alignment of ifs, buts and maybes but that’s going to come over the coming weeks – what we have got, what we can do, what we can’t do and all of the rest of it.

“First thing is first; I know you’re probably bored of it but this was the main job. We had to get it over the line. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t any other stuff going on but that was the absolute key focus. Now it’s time to immediately refocus on the rest of it.”

“It’s a horrible day for all concerned. There is no joy in it for me, other than getting the job done. I came in here to change a mentality and I think there have been signs of that. There is still more to go. I said to the players: ‘We shouldn’t be here. Enjoy this today but it has got to change’.

“There is no point in sitting on it and saying: ‘Look how great we are’ because it is not like that. There is loads to change here and a lot of work to be done but it was a big step to secure it. Work on next season started the day I got in here. Don’t think I thought this was an easy fix because it is not.”