One thing I do not understand. In the last 5 seasons, Everton have had placements between 7 - 12, and our median position has been 9. We are a fairly average PL team, not among the best, but not the worst either. We may be the worst at investing in players, but compared to many other PL teams, we have great resources. So no matter who takes over the club, the expected position should be around 9th place.
The club decides to hire Ancelotti. By many, Ancelotti is considered one of the best coaches of all time. So only on the basis of the coach should one expect Everton to perform better than expected, if the coach is world class, and not just world class, but the best of all time. But the club is really serious and will support the coach in the transfer market. We have big ambitions. The club brings in players like JR and Allan. Two players who come with huge salary costs, and at the same time where the curve has been declining in recent seasons. In addition, we bring in players such as AD, Godfrey and Olsen. AD is a player in his prime, and a proven PL player.
With these signings + the world's best coach, one should be able to expect a top 8 position. I would even say that we should be in the top 6 competition. If not, then it's hard to understand the signings of JR and Allan. If the goal is top 8 -10, then there are far cheaper players in the market who can give us the same results. Ok, we need to be patient, and build for the future. But if we are going to build for the future, why blow up the salary budget for players like JR and Allan? Why do we not identify younger and cheaper players?