Most Everton fans who took part in a pre-season poll believe the club will improve on last season, while a significant share share the CEO's view that European football is within reach.
The Blues had a chance to bring continental competition to Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time last season, but a seven-match winless run to end the campaign, including defeats to Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur, left them 13th.
Kinnear's European ambition
CEO Angus Kinnear told BBC Radio Merseyside this week that the club's owners, The Friedkin Group, considered last season a "failure". He added: "European football, we have shown, is eminently achievable, because we came so close."
Kinnear noted the club had only 12 players under contract when the owners took over. "Last summer the rebuild was really challenging. The club had relied on too many loan players, probably too many older players and there was significant work to be done."
"This summer the work is still significant, but I think we are in a better place, we are coming off a higher base so everybody is thinking about how we mount a challenge for Europe and don't fade in the last critical matches."
Fan poll results
Everton have added five signings over the summer, including permanent deals for Merlin Rohl and Tyrique George, but still need a new right-back and many supporters want a striker. Nearly 10,000 readers voted in the ECHO poll.
Five percent believe the Blues will finish in the top five, likely bringing Champions League football. Twenty-seven percent think they will reach the European places, which appears to be the Friedkins' target. The largest group, 38%, expect a top-10 finish for the first time since 2021. Twenty-five percent predict a finish between 10th and 15th, while only 5% say Everton will face a relegation battle and finish 15th-20th.
Everton begin their Premier League campaign on Saturday, August 22, at home against Crystal Palace.
