Another group of players for Everton?
As we build up to the kick off of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, let’s have another look at a few players who might well be starring for their countries at the tournament and that Everton should keep an eye on.
Looking at Spain first of all and there are two Celta Vigo players Everton might do well to look at.
Iago Aspas is coming off an outstanding season in the Spanish top-flight. In total he scored 25 times, 22 of those goals coming in 33 La Liga appearances. That breaks down as a goal every 1.5 appearances. As well as this he contributed 5 assists.
His goals represented an impressive 37% of Celta’s team total and he can play on the right or through the middle offering a real goal threat.
There are a couple of things though that count a little against him. He is 30 and it seems clear that the new Everton management team are, rightly, very much focussed on youth.
However a few more experienced players in a young team is no bad thing and might well help some of Everton’s youngsters like Tom Davies’ progress.
Also he does also seem to pick up quite a few cards, 9 in total last season, which is quite a lot for a forward!
A team-mate of Aspas is 21-year-old centre-forward Maxi Gomez. He certainly ticks the box in terms of his age.
The Uruguayan has enjoyed a good, solid campaign at Celta this past season.
In 35 La Liga appearances he scored 17 goals and chipped in with another 4 assists. That’s a pretty healthy return.
On the down-side Gomez is not a player who would seem to fit easily into a more fluid or flexible attack, something I think that new manager Marco Silva will favour.
He is a centre-forward who likes to operate in the box and finish and is particularly strong in the air. Of course Everton already have a similar player to this in Cenk Tosun.
Before leaving Spain one more player to consider might be the Espanyol attacker, Gerard Moreno.
He is a very solid all-round forward, comfortable playing on the right or through the middle.
Critically he rates well in all attacking areas: passing, crossing, dribbling and in the air. He is also strong defensively too.
These qualities would seem to make Moreno well suited to the Premier League.
Moving onto the Bundesliga in Germany, another forward who competes well in the air and can also contribute defensively, is the Freiburg striker Nils Petersen.
At 29 he is perhaps at his peak and this past season netted 15 times in the German top flight.
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He’s another centre-forward type who seems most comfortable in and around the box, although he does appear to be more mobile than at first seems.
But the fact he does rate highly in his defensive contribution is also potentially useful, especially if you want to play a high-pressing game and look to win the ball back quickly up front.
Finally a player who isn’t going to Russia but who I think would be well-suited to Everton’s likely style of play under Silva, is the Bayer Leverkusen forward Leon Bailey.
The young Jamaican would seem ideal for Everton. He is very versatile and is comfortable playing in a number of positions on the left hand side.
At 20 he is a young and still developing player with pace and skill. Last season he found the back of the net 12 times in total and made 6 assists.
Although he is mainly an attacking player, Bailey can also play in a wing-back position too.
Next: Brands new transfer policy
Given the fact that it’s unlikely Everton fans will see Henry Onyekuru next season, Bailey could be a good option to fill his position on the left side of the attack. Will manager Silva agree?