With pre-season closing in, Koeman will be looking at bringing players in to add to the already talented squad at hand – but he’ll also look to move some players on.
This could be now or never for Kevin Mirallas as he looks to resurrect his Everton career.
The Belgian signed from Olympiakos with fellow Premier League sides Arsenal and Liverpool interested but opted for The Blues in what would be David Moyes’ final season.
The 28-year-old has had an up-and-down career at Everton since arriving in 2012, but the arrival of the Dutchman could revive Mirallas who had somewhat stagnated under former boss Roberto Martinez.
Now, with Martinez gone, Mirallas could see his career with Everton restored and Evertonian’s could see him brought out of the cold.
Upon arrival, Mirallas was highly sought after, but even more so 24 months into life in Merseyside. Having stayed at Everton, the likes of Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Spurs were all thought to be tracking him, but to the surprise of many he signed a new deal.
But since the new deal, we’ve seen little.
The once direct and feared winger has been viewed, by many, as a liability. From the penalty row to the quick red card vs West Ham which saw a typical ‘2015/16 collapse’, it’s safe to say Mirallas’ career has come to a standstill.
As last season saw Mirallas feature mostly from the bench, Belgian boss Marc Wilmots omitted him from his 23 man squad for EURO 2016.
A new start
A new, exciting era has begun at Everton. Farhad Moshiri promises a large transfer budget and a new stadium with Champions League football on the agenda. Koeman is in the building and Evertonian’s look forward as the tag ‘plucky outsiders’ has well and truly been thrown out of the door.
The same could happen to Mirallas.
As Koeman comes in, Mirallas will look to kick on and forget the last frustrating campaign. Despite it being largely disappointing from both the Belgian and Everton, we did see glimpses of why he can still play a significant role at the club.
The last game of the season was a great example. With David Unsworth and Joe Royle in charge, Mirallas was given a freedom and we saw shades of the 2014/15 Mirallas.
He scored, played with a smile on his face, the first we’d seen in a while and for me and was one of the best players on the pitch. Even with his sterling performance, he was largely overshadowed by Tom Davies and Kieran Dowell on the day.
Now entering his fifth season at Everton, at 28, the winger may never get a better chance than this.
It’s always seemed to be his attitude which has hindered him. Even when playing badly, there are signs of ability. Let’s hope Koeman can set him straight.
Mirallas’ dream is more realistic than it’s ever been since arriving, let’s see if he grasps the opportunity and can be trusted by Koeman this season coming.
