Everton: 5 Potential Loan Signings That Would Instantly Improve Everton

With finances particularly sparse at Everton this summer, David Moyes has found the transfer market a complex and onerous environment. Everton are unable to supplement their squad without first offloading excess players, an errand that itself has become tryingly intricate.

To gauge supporters, the general consensus seems to be that Everton’s first XI is a winger and a striker short of competing more fiercely with those at the summit of the Premier League. Hence, while the coffers remain so drained, how about a look at some potentially cheaper loan deals?

Daniel Sturridge 

Sturridge has shown enough glimpses to suggest he is one of England’s best prospects up front. At Chelsea he has Fernando Torres, Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Soloman Kalou blocking his ascension to the first team. With Chelsea generally playing 4-3-3, and with one or even two of the three strikers often wingers, first team action may continue to be hard to attain for Sturridge. 

This predicament led him to Bolton last season, where he flourished. He scored eight goals in 12 Premier League games, a tally only Tim Cahill surpassed for Everton throughout the entire EPL season. 

Sturridge possesses pace, trickery and an abundance of confidence defying his 21 years. Chelsea’s new manager, Andre Villas-Boas, will spend the next few weeks monitoring the youngster, before opting for the best formula to aid both Chelsea and Sturridge’s future. Should that solution be for him to spend another season on loan, gaining Premier League experience, Everton should aggressively maneuver their way to the front of what is sure to be a long queue.

Danny Welbeck 

Danny Welbeck is another English youngster exuding a mass of raw talent who impressed on loan at Sunderland this past year. A striker by trade, he was often asked to drift into wider areas last season as Darren Bent and Asamoah Gyan occupied the central berths. Despite this, Welbeck increased his Premier League stock, achieving a decent return of six goals and recently gained his first international cap for England. 

Six other forwards currently reside at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, Federico Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf. With all six vying for first team minutes, Welbeck may experience a degree of claustrophobia as he returns to the competitive conditions at United. 

Rumours have already circulated about a possible link, with the media envisaging a loan deal at Everton being a perfect fit for the Manchester United prodigy. If Sir Alex Ferguson deems this best too, Everton would be wise to move for the talented 20-year-old.

Craig Bellamy

A move for Craig Bellamy would contrast any moves made for Welbeck or Sturridge. Were the Welshman to arrive at Goodison Park, David Moyes would gain a player not with potential, but with proven Premier League pedigree, eager to attest he can still dominate at the top level. 

Once craved by Manchester City, as with many of his fellow luminaries at City, Bellamy has quickly been replaced by younger, more expensive, better paid stars. With Roberto Mancini’s squad teeming with numbers, Bellamy has had to suffer the sobering experience of a preseason with Manchester City’s reserves. 

Everton were interested in a deal last season but found Manchester City unwilling to provide his services to a potential rival. They sent Bellamy to Cardiff City instead. With the divide between Everton and Manchester City further widened by City’s wealth (despite Everton’s current streak of four wins against them) a deal may now be less arduous to negotiate.

Void from playing for Everton against them, City may realise that if an Everton side including Bellamy played against their direct rivals, it would surely increase the likelihood of those rivals dropping points to Everton, in turn benefiting City. 

A move would be met with hostility from a proportion of Evertonians. Bellamy has worn the red of Liverpool and has a reputation for instigating disruption wherever he is. However, whilst in favour at Manchester City, the signs seemed to suggest he had mellowed slightly and he now seems to possess a calmer persona. Everton could utilise Bellamy as a front man or on either flank and he is surely a player that will feature on David Moyes' radar.

Lewis Holtby 

Holtby is a winger who currently plays for Schalke in Germany. Signed up until 2013, the Bundesliga club have been unable to offer their prospect many first team opportunities, but have remained keen to keep him progressing. Holtby has been sent out twice on loan in the last 18 months, including a season long stay at FSV Mainz last year. 

Holtby has captained the German Under-21 side and won a couple of senior caps during the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. He is viewed by many as a potential star of the future in German football and is valued highly by club and country. 

A factor that could potentially propel Holtby to the Premier League, and specifically Everton, is the winger’s self confessed love for Everton. His father is originally from Liverpool and is a devoted Evertonian. This passion is shared by the younger Holtby, who has been quoted spouting words sure to salivate most Evertonians. Any move for the German wonder would be sure to capture the hearts of the Goodison Park faithful, and would enhance the options on Everton’s flanks.

Tom Cleverley 

Cleverley came to prominence last season at Wigan, where he gained his first taste of Premier League experience. In a struggling team, he often shone and gathered many plaudits playing out wide for Roberto Martinez's men.

With a plethora of options in the wide positions, bolstered further by the arrival of Ashley Young, Manchester United may feel another season spent gaining first team experience would be the most beneficial scenario for Cleverley. If this is the case, Everton should actively pursue the promising England Under-21 international.

Without wanting to appear disparaging towards Wigan, Everton reside at a higher echelon on the Premier League ladder, and boast a squad consisting of some impressive EPL talents in their own right. Were Cleverley to become available on loan, Everton should sell how getting minutes on the pitch at Goodison Park, under David Moyes' tutelage, should be the next step in Cleverley’s education. Moyes would be sure to help craft Cleverley into a player more likely to succeed at Old Trafford and such a deal would increase Everton's choices out wide. 

Premier League clubs are back in preseason training now, embarking on tours to various extravagant locations around the globe. Managers will be using this period of time to decipher exactly which of their talents they want to preserve within their dwelling and which they feel can mature with a season elsewhere. As the beginning of the season approaches, an increasing amount of players will become available on loan as teams plot which players to cram into their 25-man Premier League squad. 

In the current financial climate, loans deals will prove to be increasingly vital. David Moyes has gone as far as to predict these years being the era of loan deals. With such a deal, generally there is a minimal amount to pay, and a team will account for an agreed portion of the player’s wages. Other than that, loans are low risk. With the right contract agreed, if they do not work, the player can be sent back to their parent club as Jo was during his second spell at Everton from Manchester City. 

With Everton’s transfer desires so suppressed, moves in the loan market may be the best way to acquire the talent needed to enrich this current squad. Which of these five players do you think best supplements Everton’s squad?

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