Michael Owen shares Everton Premier League relegation prediction

Michael Owen has shared his Premier League predictions for the 2023/24 season, with Everton finishing in mid-table and away from relegation.

The Toffees avoided relegation on the final day of the 2022/23 season thanks to a 1-0 win over Bournemouth, condemning both Leicester City and Leeds to join Southampton in the Championship.

So far this summer they haven’t sold any first-team players although Conor Coady, Yerry Mina and Andros Townsend were allowed to leave at the end of their contracts at the start of the summer.

Sean Dyche has so far added Arnaut Danjuma on a season-long loan and Ashley Young on a free transfer, while young Portuguese striker Youssef Chermiti is due for a medical this weekend ahead of a £14.9m move from Sporting.

And according to former Liverpool and England striker Owen, writing on his personal Twitter account (4 August), that should be enough to see Everton finish in 12th place.

Mental

Most Everton fans are generally quite positive people, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who sees us not being in a relegation battle again as things stand.

The team is arguably weaker than it was last year and we’re still yet to address the biggest issue in the squad which is a lack of goals and cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the centre-forward position.

Jarrad Branthwaite has returned after a loan at PSV but with Mina and Coady leaving the centre-back position is weaker than it was, while we’re still light at left-back and Demarai Gray looks set to head out to Fulham.

There is some time remaining to get his business done, but with the way the board are nobody has much confidence that they will be able to deliver on what is needed.

If they can’t then avoiding relegation will surely be the remit for the season and while Sean Dyche won’t be happy about it, that’s the realistic expectation. Michael Owen may be a closet blue with such a nice opinion of us.