One of the big talking points that always comes up here in the Transfer Tavern, no matter who the supporter, is thinking about what their team will look like in five years time. 

It’s a tough one to think about at first. You don’t know which players will leave or which ones will stay.

Equally, you can’t be sure who’s going to sign, which youngsters will make it or which manager will be in charge.

In fact, it’s hard to tell what division you’ll be in for some fans and all of these factors could have a serious bearing on the future line-up of a team.

The future of a football club is of big importance to a supporter, then, and all want the same thing, success.

Everton fans are of course no different and will be hoping Ronald Koeman can bring just that during his tenure but what could the Toffees’ line-up look like in 2021?

Here’s what our landlord reckons…

Mateusz Hewelt

Maarten Stekelenburg will be gone and it’s likely that Joel Robles won’t be deemed good enough so Hewelt may get promoted from the under-21 side at the club.

He has made four appearances for them in the newly devised EFL Trophy and that experience against senior Football League sides could come in very handy in the future.

Mason Holgate

Holgate earned himself a lot of plaudits earlier this season for his displays whilst Seamus Coleman was injured.

That will have stuck in Ronald Koeman’s mind and so the teenager looks an absolute shoe-in to be around the club for some time to come.

He already looks ready to play and so now it’s about making sure he doesn’t plateau in terms of progression.

Tyias Browning

Browning has featured as a full-back so far when he’s played for Everton but we should expect him to move inside into the centre-half positions over time.

He has the physical and technical ability to make the grade as a Premier League centre-half and it would not be a surprise to see him play for England either.

 Ramiro Funes Mori

Funes Mori will be in his 30’s by the time 2021 comes and will be expected to be the experienced defender at the back.

Both Ashley Williams and Phil Jagielka will almost certainly have moved on by then and so it will be up to the South American to bring the calm.

That is something he needs to learn over these next few years.

Matthew Pennington

Pennington has spent spells on loan in the lower leagues and that will have done him the world of good.

He also made his Premier League debut for the Toffees at the end of last season and so it’s likely he’ll be in and around the team over the next half-decade.

Everton definitely have a promising young defence on their hands right now.

Idrissa Gueye

Gueye will be a senior figure in the Everton side and will be expected to help the transition of the new young players to come in, with Gareth Barry surely set to retire in the next five years.

Gueye’s energy and reading of the game have made him an early hit at the club and now he needs to find a way of keeping that level up over the coming seasons.

 Tom Davies

Davies has made a handful of appearances so far for the Everton senior side and that taste of action has so far suggested that he will make it.

He looks assured on the ball and that cannot be underestimated in the Premier League.

He’ll be in his early 20’s by the time these five years are up and we should be seeing him firmly in the side.

 Ross Barkley

It’s not just Everton fans who are keen to see how Barkley progresses.

For many, he is one of the most talented around but up to now he has been largely inconsistent.

That seems to be getting better under Ronald Koeman, though, and given that it’s a working relationship that’s only just starting we should expect to see even more from him over time.

Yannick Bolasie

Bolasie will be one of the elder statesmen in the squad in five years’ time and will be hoping to be able to look back on a decent spell with the club.

He’s only signed this summer but the Toffees fans seem to have taken to him with his running and power.

He just needs to improve that end product a bit more to become one of Everton’s key men in their side.

Gerard Deulofeu

Deulofeu is only 22 and looks like he could be a real star.

He’s shown flashes of brilliance during his Everton career he just needs to become a bit more consistent to become a real force for the club.

He’s got plenty of time to do so though you’d say and with Ronald Koeman in charge we could be about to see his career really take off in the near future.

 Romelu Lukaku

It’s hard to comprehend but, theoretically, Lukaku should only get better over the next five years.

The Belgian has been around in the Premier League for what seems already like a long time and has scored a lot of goals yet he’s nowhere near his prime.

If Everton can keep hold of him there’s really no limit on what they could do over this next half-decade.

Agree Everton fans? Let us know below!