Everton made eight signings over the transfer window but were in the market for another forward until the final moments of deadline day, and the decision not to make a more aggressive approach to get a deal done could prove to be another Farhad Moshiri nightmare at Goodison Park.
Frank Lampard’s side are unbeaten in their last four Premier League outings picking up draws in each of them but have still failed to find their first three-pointer over six performances, and securing that final deal for an attacking-minded player could have been the push needed to turn their equalisers into winners.
One player that Everton were linked with on deadline day was Samuel Chukwueze, with BBC Journalist Fraser Fletcher confirming in the final hours of the transfer window that the club were trying to get a deal over the line for the Villarreal winger.
Fletcher tweeted: “Latest I’ve been told – Chukwueze deal still possible for Everton. Been working with intermediaries in Spain to try to push through.”
According to FBref, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka are named as two of the most comparable players to Chukwueze over the last 12 months, with the 23-year-old ranking in the top 2% of his positional peers in the top five European leagues for dribbles completed.
He also ranked in the top 15% for touches and progressive carries, proving that he is a young talent with a lot of potential to become a fantastic player andm unfortunately for Lampard, he also has no trouble finding the back of the net under Unai Emery’s guidance.
The £43m star who was hailed “incredible” by Samuel Eto’o has tallied up 25 goals and 22 assists over 162 appearances, scoring his most important goal last season in the Champions League quarter-final when he found the winner in the second leg against Bayern Munich sending Villarreal into their first semi-final since 2009.
This tenacity and urgency in the forward line is something Everton are desperate for to take their game to the next level and start picking up multiple points in games to deliver a much more promising finish in the Premier League, especially after suffering a difficult relegation scrap last season.
With that being said, the powers at Goodison Park will have to hope that Lampard has enough to work with in his squad over the coming weeks and months to put Everton in a better position before the January transfer window opens, but losing out on Chukwueze will surely be a massive disappointment.
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/IePovJQ
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