Right choice for Koeman?

Ronald Koeman returns to St Mary’s Stadium for the first time when Everton travel to Southampton for Sunday’s Premier League meeting live on Sky Sports.

The Dutchman raised eyebrows when he swapped sixth-placed Southampton for the 11th-placed Toffees in the summer, signing a three-year contract at Goodison Park after two years on the south coast.

Everton sit five points ahead of Southampton after the first three months of the new campaign, but did Koeman make the right call? We weigh up the cases for and against with an expert verdict from Matt Le Tissier…

FOR

Koeman cited Everton’s “ambition” as the main factor behind his decision, and while summer spending did not come close to the mooted £100m figure, there was evidence of new owner Farhad Moshiri’s intentions with the £28m signing of Yannick Bolasie from Crystal Palace.

That deal, by way of contrast, was worth nearly twice as much as Southampton’s club-record move for Sofiane Boufal, and it highlighted the difference in financial firepower that convinced Koeman to swap the south coast for Merseyside.

Everton were frustrated in their efforts to sign Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Perez, among others, but Koeman is expected to receive more backing from Moshiri in January. Indeed, he has already expressed an interest in Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Memphis Depay – targets that would have been out of reach at his former club.

It’s not just about signings, either. From Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana to Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama, Koeman was powerless to stop a string of key players from departing St Mary’s during his time at Southampton.

It was far from ideal, and while Everton did lose John Stones to Manchester City this summer, the £50m deal suited both …

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