Everton Transfers: 5 Realistic Buys for the Toffees This Summer

The phrase "realistic buy" for Everton generally covers free agents, loan options, unproven prospects or players not at the top of their game for a considerable period of time.

This is of course due to the club's renowned lack of resources and current inability to produce transfer revenue to bolster their squad without first losing their own assets.

However, this summer may well prove to be slightly different for the Toffees. Marouane Fellaini is widely expected to vacate Goodison Park in search of Champions League football, and while that will come as a blow to the club, it should at least provide them with some spending power. More than has been available for many years.

On top of that, Phil Neville announced yesterday he will be leaving the club at the end of the season, meaning there may well be two significant names taken off the wage bill along with a handy sum of cash available.

All of a sudden there seems far more of an opportunity to replenish the squad than there's been for several years at the Toffees.

Whether or not that prospect is enough to entice David Moyes to stay at the club remains to be seen, but it's certainly conceivable that some more lucrative options will be mulled over this summer.

At the very least, the standard of the word "realistic" in relation to Everton can at least be raised a few levels to include some more exciting talent.

Therefore, here's a look at some of those potential options, possibly already on the Toffees' radar.

Wilfried Bony

Wilfried Bony has been scoring goals for fun in Holland, accumulating an astounding 29 goals in just 26 league games for high-flying Vitesse.

While the Eredivisie may not be the most reliable league to gauge a striker's potency—as Afonso Alves' record shows—the Ivorian certainly appears the real deal on tape.

Not the most gifted technician, Bony brings composure to the penalty area, often finishing in a remarkably calm manner.

He is a genuine poacher, with excellent timing and anticipation, always striving to make an extra yard for himself to fire off a shot. He can be physical and also has a deceptively effective long-range shot, that often finds the bottom corner.

Bony would be out of reach for Everton during most transfer windows, but this summer may well prove to be different.

The Toffees have been loosely linked to him along with a whole cluster of Premier League clubs (via The Daily Mail) and with Nikica Jelavic struggling for consistency this season, the club are likely to be on the lookout for additional forward options.

Keisuke Honda

Keisuke Honda is a player Everton would normally be tracking anyway right now, regardless of budgets, due to the fact the Japanese international has been running down his contract at CSKA Moscow.

He has been in good form for the Russian league leaders, with seven league goals in 19 games, but seems eager to make a move away and his current deal expires at the end of the year.

Left-footed, Honda is capable of playing in any attacking berth, but specialises in a role just behind the striker. With a deft first touch he is capable of linking up play, threading through-balls to the striker and scoring some impressive long-range finishes.

He will be available in the summer for a knock-down price which has piqued the interest of a host of different clubs, supposedly including Everton (via the Liverpool Echo).

If Fellaini does depart the Toffees, the club may well be looking for a more natural playmaker to sit behind the striker and evolve their style into a more fluent approach—something Honda would be ideally suited to.

Adam Lallana

Another player who could help Everton move away from this season's direct style and build a more fluid system would be Adam Lallana, who would surely flourish alongside the likes of Steven Pienaar and Kevin Mirallas.

The Southampton skipper is versatile enough to be effective in a number of different positions on the field, but predominantly plays in an advanced position on the left.

He enjoys involving himself in build-up play, with quick, incisive passes, and has created 36 chances for his teammates this season, a tally only Pienaar and Leighton Baines can trump at Everton.

Despite generally appearing further forward, he is also an industrious player and fully committed to the cause without the ball, often seen disrupting the opposition's attack.

His form saw him on the cusp of an England debut earlier in the season and Lallana is a signing a lot of Evertonians would like to see happen—especially with the player admitting he was a boyhood fan of the Toffees. 

Tomer Hemed

Real Mallorca's Tomer Hemed is a 25-year-old Israeli international, who Everton have allegedly sent scouts to monitor (via The Daily Mail).

The striker has scored eight La Liga goals in a difficult season for his club and is currently the second top scorer in the European section of World Cup qualification, with six goals in just four games for his country.

On the field he is a hard-working, physical specimen, who thrives in the air. Only one other striker averages more aerial-duel wins per-game in La Liga this season and Hemed may well be a stylistic fit for the Premier League.

He can be an instinctive finisher and, although his recent form has slightly dipped in front of goal, he has continued to be a benefit to his team, working hard off the ball and creating 22 chances across the season. Overall, his eight strikes account for 25 percent of Mallorca's league goals.

With Jelavic and Victor Anichebe currently the lone options for David Moyes up front, the Toffees are in need of a few more bodies in attack and Hemed could prove a smart acquisition. 

Scott Sinclair

Finally, another player who seems to be on Everton's radar is Manchester City's Scott Sinclair (via The Daily Star).

The attacking midfielder has been linked to the Toffees in several different quarters after pretty much writing this year off filling Manchester City's English quota from their bench

Before that, he enjoyed a successful season at Swansea last year, at his best when dribbling and running at opponents, often cutting in to shoot.

Kevin Mirallas has recently provided Everton with a new dimension in attack, with his blend of pace and individual skill especially useful on the break for some of Moyes' more defensive setups.

Sinclair is a similar breed of direct player, keen to express himself in the final third and would be a useful weapon to have if he could be rescued from City's reserves.

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