Gary Lineker has seen it fit to dispatch a kind message to Everton after they secured their Premier League survival on the last day of the season against Bournemouth after the Toffees edged out Leicester City in the race to beat the drop thanks to a nerves-riddled 1-0 win over the Cherries\u00a0at Goodison Park on Sunday 28th May.<\/p>\n
The Toffees were much in need of Abdoulaye Doucoure\u2019s winning goal to help them stay out of relegation at the end of the season on 36 points in 17th position \u2013 just two crucial points above the Foxes and five above Leeds United.<\/p>\n
In his Twitter post in reaction to the season-ending dramatic finish, Leicester City fan Lineker offered his congratulations to Sean Dyche\u2019s side.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely gutted, but glad it\u2019s Everton,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave a lot of love for that great football club. Congratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many are wont to believe that a club of Everton\u2019s size and magnitude should not even be remotely linked to the Championship, so the fact that their top-flight status has been shaky right down to the last day of the season for two years running is utterly ludicrous and shambolic..<\/p>\n
Unreservedly, credit is due to Sean Dyche and his coaching staff for successfully navigating their way out of the relegation battle so artfully, but the real fact is that the hard work only begins now.<\/p>\n
For starters, the first-team squad is not up for the task for a top-ten Premier League season as it stands, and numerous transfers need to be completed for this to be effectively changed.<\/p>\n
It is yet to be seen how much of the \u00a345million the club sold for Anthony Gordon in the January transfer window money can be used this summer amid the club\u2019s current FFP woes as the Toffees need multiple signings in attack, a creative midfielder and further depth at full-back, as well as fending off any offers for the likes of Amadou Onana and Jordan Pickford.<\/p>\n
The 2022\/23 season was a harrying one, skating a tad too close to the brink for comfort, and Everton now need to ensure that this worrying trend is reversed, and fast.<\/p>\n
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