Richard Keys was worried about Everton after Sean Dyche’s side were condemned to a 3-0 defeat at Brighton on Saturday (17 August).
The Seagulls opened the scoring against the run of play, with Kaoru Mitoma hitting the net before Dominic Calvert-Lewin saved a penalty moments into the second half.
That was quickly followed by Danny Welbeck doubling Brighton’s lead, which was made much worse when Ashley Young saw red, and Simon Adingra added a late third to seal victory.
Speaking on X on Monday (August 19) – when asked if he sees Everton getting relegated – Keys said: “I think they’re in big trouble.”
Everton risking another relegation battle?
After just one game in the 2024/25 Premier League season, it is far too early to tell how the Toffees will fare after a good summer of transfer signings.
A puzzling aspect of their opening game, however, was the lack of new signings in the starting line-up after bringing several faces through the Goodison Park gates.
Tim Iroegbunam was Dyche’s only new signing to start against Brighton after joining from Aston Villa, with Iliman Ndiaye, Jake O’Brien and Jesper Lindström on the bench.
Given Everton’s struggles in the final third of last term, it’s a strange decision to see the new attacking signings stuck on the bench, even after a fairly decent showing from Ndiaye and Lindström in pre-season.
Dyche has worked wonders with the Merseyside club in the past, taking the club 14 points clear of the relegation zone, including the Toffees deducting eight points due to two PSR offences.
Still, there are areas that need to be worked on as soon as possible if the Candies are to avoid the relegation zone after back-to-back seasons in the relegation battle.