Following the conclusion of the 2023/24 season, Everton boss Sean Dyche has a huge summer ahead of him, that could potentially impact the club’s ever-present Premier League status.
Although the Toffees produced a phenomenal end to the season which saw them win four of their remaining six matches, the squad could be ripped apart this summer as a result of the looming PSR problems.
The club will have to part ways with at least one big-money player, just to have a fighting chance of avoiding any further punishments, with Jarrad Branthwaite the most likely, having been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United.
It will undoubtedly be a huge blow for Everton should he depart Goodison Park, with the 21-year-old excelling, so much so that he’s earned a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man squad for the upcoming European Championships in Germany.
However, the club also currently have a lot of contracted players who are past the level required of England’s top flight, with Dyche needing to brutally part ways with one player to help raise funds.
Michael Keane’s career at Everton
During the summer of 2017, Everton forked out a huge £30m for defender Michael Keane – in the hopes he could be a spare head in the club’s European ambitions.
Keane impressed in his first season at Goodison, starting 30 times over the course of the campaign and helping the Toffees secure an eighth-place finish in the Premier League.
The defender remained a crucial part of the Toffees' backline for the 2018/2019 campaign, with Keane making 33 appearances in the top flight and looking good value for his hefty price tag.
2017/18
33
0
2,560'
2018/19
33
1
2,970'
2019/20
31
2
2,556'
2020/21
35
3
2,990'
2021/22
32
3
2,792'
2022/23
12
1
983'
2023/24
9
1
435'
However, he would drop down the pecking order at Goodison following the arrival of James Tarkowski, with his game time dramatically decreasing – Keane only featuring 12 times for a total of just 983 minutes in the Premier League.
Despite his decline the season prior, the 2023/24 campaign has been a new low for the 31-year-old, achieving a tally of just nine starts – with Dyche desperately needing to bin the centre-back this summer.
Michael Keane's market value in 2024
Nearly seven years on from his move to Merseyside, he’s endured a huge drop from the £30m the club forked out for him, with Keane now valued at a measly £1.8m, as per Football Transfers.
Keane, who is "always struggling" according to talkSPORT's Perry Groves, has suffered a drop of over £28m – an astronomical amount – with Tarkowski, his replacement, now worth a staggering £17.6m, less than two years after his free transfer to the club.
The one-time Manchester United man only has 12 months left on his current contract at Goodison, with this summer potentially their last opportunity to sell him before losing him for absolutely nothing.
With Keane – who was reportedly told he could leave in January – on a reported £80k-per-week, as per Capology, the club desperately needs to cut him loose in the coming months, if they are to prevent any big-name departures from Dyche’s side.
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