Everton manager Sam Allardyce relieved some of the pressure that was building on his shoulders when his side beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Just a week previously, the Toffees had been thrashed 5-1 against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and with a 4-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur also coming on the road last month, the Goodison Park faithful were starting to get impatient with the 63-year-old, who was never really a popular appointment.
The former England boss signed a deal until June 2019 when he was announced as Ronald Koeman’s successor in November, but it remains to be seen whether he will see that contract out given that he is seemingly struggling to win over his own supporters.
If he does continue on Merseyside for the 2018/19 campaign, there will certainly be some Toffees players that won’t be happy with the news and will believe that they will on their way out at the end of the season.
Here are three Everton players that have no future at the club if Allardyce stays this summer…
Davy Klaassen
The Netherlands international was one of the big-money arrivals at Goodison Park during the summer transfer window from whom big things were expected of, but the attacking midfielder struggled in the early stages of the campaign under former boss Ronald Koeman.
When the Dutchman was sacked, the 24-year-old wasn’t given too many opportunities under caretaker boss David Unsworth, and he would finally have been hoping for a clean slate when Sam Allardyce took charge.
It hasn’t been the case though, and he has only made the matchday squad once since the 63-year-old was appointed – playing the full 90 minutes in the dead rubber Europa League tie against Apollon Limassol.
It seems as though the only thing that could save Klaassen’s Everton career now is a new manager, and if Allardyce stays this summer he will almost certainly be on his way.
Ashley Williams
The Wales international’s contract is due to run out in the summer of 2019, and seeing as he is 33 years of age it seems unlikely that he will be handed a new one.
Even though Eliaquim Mangala and Michael Keane – who was hauled off after 45 minutes – both struggled in the three-man defence in the 5-1 defeat against Arsenal, it was Williams who was dropped to the substitutes’ bench against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
If Allardyce does stay this summer he could look to sign Mangala on a permanent basis, and it would be no surprise to see him target another new centre-back too given the club’s defensive troubles this season.
If that happened, it would be difficult to see Williams having a future at Goodison Park beyond the summer.
Morgan Schneiderlin
Allardyce came out and backed the Frenchman after he was booed when he came on as a substitute in the 3-1 win against Palace on Saturday, but that certainly doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t consider selling the 28-year-old in the summer.
The former England boss decided to drop the midfielder to the substitutes’ bench following another disappointing display against Arsenal – Schneiderlin has struggled for form all season – and the fact that Idrissa Gueye, Wayne Rooney and Tom Davies were all picked ahead of him against the Eagles is perhaps a sign for the future.
His poor relationship with the fans and the fact that he could probably still fetch a decent price could mean he is one that Allardyce looks to move on at the end of the campaign if the manager is to stay at Goodison Park next season.
Do you agree, Toffees fans? Let us know below.