Everton wasted time on Rafa flop who earned more than Branthwaite & McNeil -

Everton supporters will be optimistic about their side’s chances in their first Premier League clash since the international break, as the Toffees travel down to a winless Ipswich Town.

Of course, the Tractor Boys will be no pushovers on their own patch – having picked up a promising 2-2 draw with Aston Villa at home recently – but Sean Dyche will want his team to go there and capitalise on the slightly low mood at Portman Road regardless, with Kieran McKenna’s men falling to a 4-1 defeat on the road to West Ham United last time out.

On the contrary, the Merseysiders last drew 0-0 with Newcastle United in what will have been viewed as a satisfactory point, as Dyche hopes the likes of Dwight McNeil can shine in Suffolk this weekend to steer his team to a second league win of the early season.

Top Everton performers this season

McNeil is very much in the conversation when it comes to the cream of the crop at Goodison Park so far this campaign, with the Toffees thankful for their new star man’s heroics against Crystal Palace last month, which saw a win finally pop up next to their name in the league standings.

The ex-Burnley man has four goals and two assists from nine games in all competitions, with his stunning brace against the Eagles in particular standing out, which included this sumptuous curling effort beating a helpless Dean Henderson.

Away from the standout number seven, Everton defenders such as Michael Keane and James Tarkowski need to take some plaudits for their imposing displays as of late, especially against the Magpies last match.

Tarkowski would complete a huge ten clearances in the contest to regularly shut out Eddie Howe’s men, whilst another former Clarets man in Keane would look surprisingly comfortable with the ball at his feet by misplacing just three of his 32 passes, on top of showing off his grit in winning 100% of his aerial duels.

Both of these experienced heads have had timely resurgences in the main Everton team, owing to the fact usual centre-back star Jarrad Branthwaite has been only fit for one game in the league so far this season.

When Branthwaite is back at full sharpness, the Toffees will be an even harder team to break down.

Although both of these stars will aim to keep being in the good books at Goodison Park for some time, there is a former face who doesn’t really instill any emotion from the fanbase now, having entered the building during the disastrous Rafa Benitez era on Merseyside.

Andros Townsend’s wage at Everton

Initially, Andros Townsend’s signing would have been as a major plus, with the former Tottenham Hotspur winger joining the ranks as a shrewd acquisition on a free transfer.

He would pick up an impressive seven goals from 27 games donning an Everton strip during his only fit season at the Club, making sure he was at least known as a temporary bright spark for fans to latch onto during some troubled times during Benitez’s reign, but the end of his time with the Toffees would be ultimately heartbreaking.

Townsend’s career injury record
Club played for	Injury	Days missed
Everton	Cruciate ligament injury	413
Everton	Broken foot	23
Crystal Palace	Groin injury	54
Crystal Palace	Bruise	11
Tottenham Hotspur	Ligament injury	70
Queens Park Rangers	Hamstring	14
Sourced by Transfermarkt

He would miss the entire 2022/23 season owing to a serious cruciate ligament injury, which would bring his bumper wage at the Toffees more into view.

Townsend would remarkably earn more than both Branthwaite and McNeil, even when he was sidelined for this cursed campaign, pocketing a hefty £40k-per-week salary, according to Capology.

Both Everton’s star centre-back and the ex-Burnley attacker rake in £35k-per-week and £25k-per-week respectively, as Dyche will count on both figures moving forward to help secure the Merseyside outfit’s safety in the Premier League.

Townsend – who racked up around £4m in wages across his two seasons at Goodison – will aim to see out his playing days in Turkey with new employers Antalyaspor without more injury issues popping up, as he curses his poor record with setbacks when recollecting his time now at Toffees.